Finale (Minus Desi) Plus Jack
by Objessions
Summary: For Poxelda - An AU rewrite of the finale with Jack swapped in to watch Mac's six. I love Desi, but I miss Jack like crazy. So I'm grateful for the prompt to put him back where he belongs. All's right with the world. As always, I own nothing. All standard disclaimers apply. Trigger warning for death of a beloved character (but you knew that if you watched the episode).
1. Chapter 1

The trip home was taking forever. Mac had sort of hoped once the adrenaline from their breakneck race to exfil had worn off, he'd be able to get some sleep. It had been a long couple of days, without so much as a nap. For him anyway.

But after several hours under a blanket on one of the couches passed, all Mac had succeeded in doing was giving himself a stiff neck. In all honesty, that's what his sleep had been like lately anyway.

Something was bothering him.

It wasn't just nightmares of falling onto those live wires in Rio or of Murdoc and Helmond escaping custody. That particular horror reel had been on repeat a lot lately. It wasn't even the cramping in his leg from the bullet wound up in Washington that he was getting better at ignoring or foam rolling into silence.

Although it irritated the hell out of him that it was still a problem. It ached enough after all their running around in South America that he'd quietly (meaning without letting Jack or Boze or even Ri know what he was up to) gone into Medical about it. Doc Anderson had put him through the usual rigamarole and then just shrugged and said in a teasing voice that let Mac know not to take it too seriously even though there was some truth in it, "You're pushing thirty, Mac. What can I say? It's hell to get old."

He would have thought maybe it was the twinge of more than friends feeling he'd gotten when Riley had dissolved in his arms after she broke up with Billy. But it had been over as soon as it happened. Neither of them really felt that way about the other. Right?

And Jack was back, safe and sound. Well, mostly. Mac could tell he was a little worse for wear but he seemed more or less okay. So why did Mac still feel worried about him?

It was something he couldn't put his finger on. Like clouds gathering. Or, he almost shuddered, like knowing Murdoc was behind him somewhere in a dark tunnel.

He sighed and sat up, tossing aside his blanket. He was expecting a cabin full of sleeping coworkers. What he got mostly lived up to expectations. Except for the coworker across from him.

Jack was sitting on the couch opposite from him, arms folded, smiling wryly. Mac headed off any of whatever had Jack wearing that smuggish expression with a half smile and a light, "Hey, Jack. Can't sleep?"

"Oh, I slept some. Just my brain clock says it 4 a.m. and I'm back in the habit of being up then, I guess."

Mac grinned. Jack was a celebrated sleeper. Of anyone on the team, Jack was the most likely to oversleep. But, he'd been on the Kovac task force for weeks, with a military unit. "Didn't take long for the Army to clean up your habits, huh?"

Jack chuckled. "Yeah well, maybe you should re-enlist then, cuz I don't remember you faking sleep near so often when we were in uniform."

Mac rolled his eyes, but fidgeted just enough that Jack knew he was right. And Mac knew he knew it. Instead of bothering to lie about it, Mac shrugged. "Too wound up I guess. Do I get credit for at least trying?"

"Trying to fake it, or trying to sleep?" Jack teased.

Mac tossed his travel pillow in Jack's general direction. "Jackass," was all he said before a very disgruntled voice interrupted.

"Don't you two ever shut up?"

"Sorry, Ri," Mac answered, really sounding it. "We'll keep it down."

"That's alright, Mac. If I do more than a nap it'll take longer to get un-jet lagged." Riley shifted and put her blanket aside, adjusted her seat, and reached into her bag for her rig.

As happened more often than it hadn't lately, Jack started asking about what he'd missed. Even though he'd still been at Phoenix when the incident with the Ghost happened, Jack circled back to that frequently. Mac had the sneaking suspicion Riley had told Jack about his moment of blinding panic, about his almost not being able to do the job.

Mac didn't know what it was about that day, but he'd come so close to falling apart, so close to letting the bomb win. All he'd been able to think about was Al's voice in his ear piece that day, just blithely talking about his kid on the way, like he wasn't dismantling a huge IED, and then nothing. Just fire, and being knocked flat. Feeling flash fried, and knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that the bomb had won. That Al was gone. And that his unique ability to box up his feelings about the bomb hadn't saved him.

Mac brushed off Jack's questions the way he always did. He joked a little. He gave vague glossed over generalizations. Then, when those failed, he turned it around and started asking Jack about his time away.

Mac's lips twisted into a half smile when Jack did what he knew the man couldn't resist: start storytelling. Mac leaned back in the cushions, continuing to smile fondly, and express an interest in all the right places. At three quarters of it sounded like bullshit, but you could never tell with Jack. The Duke Jacobi incident was some straight up Stirling Archer crap, but that had really happened, so who knew?

Before long Boze grumbled himself awake and, not unusually, the team found itself engaged in a game of truth or dare to pass the interminable hours until the could get back to LA.

Mac flushed crimson when he made the mistake of selecting truth and Jack asked, as indelicately as possible, if he and Nikki had slept together on the Chrysalis op. He cleared his throat. "I mean, of course we slept. I always try to get some quality rack time before a mission."

Bozer whistled. "I bet it was _quality_."

Mac sunk down into his seat just a little. "Can you just …? Okay?"

Bozer and Jack started laughing and ribbing Mac a little mercilessly. Riley gave him a sympathetic glance and interrupted their gleeful teasing. "What about you, Boze? Truth or dare?"

Bozer inevitably picked date. He was as bad as Jack, Mac thought with a grin.

By the time they'd coaxed Boze out of hiding to parade around the cabin with his extremely loud boxers over his pants and Jack and Riley were razzing the hell out of him, Mac could almost forget that something had been scratching around in his mind like a nasty little rat. He was, in fact, almost relaxed.

Jack of course tried to take another dare, but they were all out of hot sauce. Ri and Boze were trying to come up with another appropriate death defying date, when Mac suddenly sat up a little straighter. "How about a truth, Jack?" Jack cocked an eyebrow at him. Mac grinned like it wasn't all that important to him. "You know, before these two have you doing something that leads to cabin depressurization or, you know, catastrophic engine failure."

Eyebrow still raised, Jack grinned. He'd known something was on Mac's mind. Maybe this question would be a window into what.

"A'right, Fine. Truth."

Without pause, Mac asked, "Do you know who sent you those pictures of Kovac that got you involved in the case again?"

There is was.

And of course the rest of the team piled on quickly. They were all curious about what could possibly have made Jack pick up and go like he had. They were more than a little curious as to who had made it happen.

Mac was ready to apply some light interrogation tactics. He found he was smiling in a more genuine way, now that he'd asked that question out loud. He thought maybe once he heard the answer, he might actually be able to relax enough to take a real nap.

Then his phone rang.

He'd have ignored it to keep pestering Jack, but it was Charlie.

He didn't know why, but when he saw the Caller ID, his stomach dropped.

"Hey, buddy, what's going on?"

The answer silenced everyone for a moment and Mac grew cold all over.

_No feelings about the bomb, Angus._

_Yeah, right._


	2. Chapter 2

"You alright, kid?" Jack asked for about the fifth time. Jack knew something had been eating his partner for a while, but this pensive silence felt new.

Mac glanced at him absently, mostly paying attention to the photos on his phone of the blast site. "Um …"

"What is it?" Riley piped up from the back seat of the car Jack was weaving in and out of traffic to get them across town as fast as possible.

Mac just shook his head like a fly was buzzing too close and thumbed through the photos again. "Charlie was gonna call me back once he had eyes inside."

"And?" Jack prompted, laying on the horn when he was cut off by a truck that could have crushed the late model nondescript sedan Matty had waiting when they landed.

Mac's breath paused like he was getting ready to answer, then just puffed a long sigh. After a minute or so, he finally spoke. "I don't know. I think Jack is a bad influence."

"Hey!" Jack protested because it didn't sound like teasing, Mac sounded dead serious.

Mac threw him a strained smile. "I just mean I've got a bad feeling."

"About this?" Riley asked. "I thought we banned mission related Star Wars references."

"Just in general, I guess," Mac replied, finally sliding his phone into his pocket and pulling out a paper clip, not to shape really, just to mangle.

Trying to lighten Mac up, Jack added, "And Matty might have banned mission-related Star Wars references, but she banned paperclips too and we saw how long that lasted."

Mac flashed a half smile. "Just jumping at shadows, I'm sure," he said casually, hoping they'd drop it because he really couldn't explain the case of butterflies he'd had since Charlie's call. He shrugged, then admitted, "This brings up a lot of memories about The Ghost. That's all it is."

Jack frowned. There was no defensiveness there. That was pretty unlike Mac. "Didn't realize it was still that much on your mind, kid. I know I keep sayin' it, but …"

"Don't apologize again, Jackass. You weren't there because you were doing your job cleaning up that smuggling ring in Brazil."

Jack pulled up to the curb just outside the police perimeter. Jack frowned again. "My job is watching your back. And maybe I've forgotten that once too often lately."

Mac missed his statement. He was already half out of the car, looking around for the command center of the chaotic scene. As soon as he identified someone who looked semi-incharge, he took off in that direction.

Jack and Riley were just catching up when Mac asserted that he should be the one to suit up and go in to look for Charlie.

Riley reaches out and put a hand on his arm, "Mac, are you sure you should …?"

He'd have answered, but Jack spoke for him. "He's sure, Ri. Bombs are one of two things our boy is always sure about."

Mac gave a nod of appreciation to his partner for just letting him do his thing. He strode off in the direction of the bomb squad truck to get into a suit.

Riley cocked an eyebrow at Jack, a little surprised he hadn't raised any objections to Mac just running into this situation blind. "What the other one?"

Jack's eyes followed Mac as he started pulling on the loaner bomb suit. The corner of one side of his mouth tipped up for a second. "That he'll never leave a friend hanging. It when it counts."

"Oh." She clearly already knew that about Mac. "Don't let him take off in there without comms. I'm gonna establish a link with the Phoenix." She passes Jack an earpiece for himself and one for Mac and got out her rig, placing it on the hood of one of the FBI's SUVs and got to work.

Inside the suit, Mac was already sweating. _Jesus, these things are hot_.

_Yeah, well, maybe we should have them air conditioned instead of making sure they keep you from making a nasty stain. Whatdoyathink?_

Mac shook his head, just like the owner of that voice hadn't died years ago in Afghanistan. "Probly not, Al," he murmured under his breath.

Riley's voice came over the comms, "Say again?"

Mac flushed a little. Talking out loud to Al's ghost was apparently a bad habit since Jack has informed him he repeated, "No feelings about the bomb," like a mantra when he was working on a device. "Comm check?"

This time Jack answered and Mac was more than half sure Jack had heard him talking to himself. "Copy?"

"Copy," Mac replied.

"I got you," Riley affirmed.

Mac was back to focusing on the dusty interior of the bomb ravaged building. "Charlie!" he called, sweeping his flashlight around. "Charlie!"

He was aware of the rest of the team talking, both those outside, and back at Phoenix, but he blocked it out when he saw something. "There's drops of blood on the floor," he said, voice taut as he followed the blood trail, feeling the sweat on his body chill, like the temperature in his blast suit had dropped twenty degrees.

Oversight piped up, "Mac two people _did_ die in there."

Mac felt the old bristling he'd gotten used to not constantly being subjected to as his father stayed the obvious. He refrained from snapping that he was aware of that. His recent experience told him his dad was trying to help. So instead, Mac just scanned the area again.

"No," he began, sounding a little uncertain. Then as his brain did the necessary calculations, he gained confidence. "Based on the blast pattern, this happened after the detonation. They, uh ... They lead to the fire escape."

Jack was starting to pace outside next to Riley. "You think it's Charlie's?"

He wasn't cold anymore. He was too hot now. His thoughts were louder than Jack's question. _It has to be Charlie's. Because this is what happens to people you care about. First your mother, then Jesse Bozer, then your dad left, Harry, then Al … Zoe … You're not good for people, Angus. Nasha almost died because she knew you. Now that you're actually getting along, your father has cancer and honestly things don't look great … Thornton went bad. Nikki ghosted ... Even Jack … He left, too. _

Mac interrupted his own self destructive train of thought. _None of that is my fault! _He knew he didn't really believe that, even if he was only arguing with himself. Still, he mentally pressed on stubbornly, _And Jack came back. I don't always lose. _

"I hope not," he was what said aloud. _Because there's no other trace of him and I'm not sure I can stand to lose anybody else …_

Then Riley offered a ray of hope.

"Hey, guys, I was able to get a lock on the GPS in Charlie's cell."

"Where is he?" Mac asked, carefully heading out of the building. It wasn't cleared, but he'd have to leave that for the feds and the LAPD.

"He's at the Aliso Tower."

Oversight came through with the answer this time. "It's a high-rise about two blocks from the courthouse."

Mac was actually familiar with the building, but he didn't say so. What he did was start pulling off his blast suit before he was even clear of the doors and snap, "What the hell is he doing over there?"

Anticipating what he was going to want, Jack had the car started, passenger door open for him.

He climbed in, glancing back a Riley and then looking at Jack, worry creasing his forehead and pinching at the corners of his eyes.

_He's scared,_ Jack realized. _That ain't like Mac, not one bit. Something really is going on with the kid. _"Let's go get Charlie, bud," he offered, pulling away from the curb.

"Yeah," Mac sighed; it sounded so defeated.

Then his jaw firmed and his head jerked in a determined little nod.

"Yeah. Let's do it."


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N - Sorry this is slow going. I'm having a hell of a week. I'm getting to experience the fun of migraine related invasive medical crap. But ... wanted to post a chapter today for our favorite guy's birthday. I may post something in Blackbird today or tomorrow as well. I need someone other than me to get whumped this week. ~ J_

"You're awful quiet," Jack observed as they climbed the stairs toward where Riley's GPS tracker has Charlie's position.

Mac glanced back, then just continued up the stairs. "This is a long climb. Not really feeling small talk, pal."

Jack cleared his throat to mention that stairs weren't usually a deterrent for Mac explaining about whatever bomb he'd just looked at, plan he was hatching, or even just to toss out Die Hard quotes. He got as far as opening his mouth, but Mac pointed at the between level sign. "Almost there." Then his young partner started taking stairs two at a time.

Jack raised an eyebrow at Riley. She shrugged. "He's been quiet a lot lately."

"You think he's still pissed at me for leaving to go after Kovac?"

Riley smirked. "Don't be a Jackass. He was never pissed about that. You not taking him with you on the other hand? And that lane added excuse you gave him for why? He might actually be kinda pissed about that."

Before Jack could come up with a response to that, Riley followed Mac's lead and sped up to catch up with him. A moment later Mac called back down the stairs. "Think we're onto something!"

When they both caught up with him, it quickly became clear that he was right. Jack frowned at the slightly wild look Mac had around his eyes. The situation was, so far anyway, totally under control. They found Charlie, or at least they were pretty sure they had. Why did he look like they were trapped in a burning building?

No, even that wasn't right. Mac didn't look like that in a burning building. He just grinned and built them crazy-assed airbags and flung himself out a damned window only to laugh like Hell twenty seconds later. This face was similar to the one Jack recognized from being cornered by Murdoc, to learning Murdoc had escaped. Like he knew something terrible was going to happen.

Then the hotel staff called Phoenix and someone commented on their boss being terrifying. Mac snorted an amused little laugh and met Jack's eyes. The look said, well, we know they talked to Matty and not my dad. And suddenly Mac was back. Relaxed, ready to roll with whatever came, in total walls up problem solving mode.

The facade crumbled just a bit when he saw how much blood Charlie had lost. "We're coming for you, pal," Mac reassured the downed man.

Charlie nodded and his pained eyes spoke the words the duct tape wouldn't allow him to say, "Hurry up, man. I'm running out of time."

Jack stepped closer and said in a low voice meant only for Mac, "You got this, kid. Whadaya need?"

Mac immediately started directing Jack and Riley to help him remove the glass panel between him and his friend. They were both totally focused on what Mac was telling them to do. Even though Mac was, too, he was also focused on a hundred other little things, partly because of his training. Mostly because that was just how his brain worked. One of the things he noticed was Charlie trying to once again communicate with his eyes.

"Wait! Hold up."

Riley frowned. "I can see your spidey senses are tingling."

Jack elbowed her gently. "That's my line."

Normally either comment might have gotten a smile out of Mac, at least a little one. But he was entirely mission focused. "Those sensors," he gestured at the glass. "They aren't supposed to be there."

He moved around, trying to get a better look at the wiring. His eyes followed the wires up toward the roof of the elevator. _Shit._

What he said aloud was, "Hang in there, Charlie. We'll be right back."

Charlie nodded again, but as soon as Mac and his team disappeared from his view, he squeezed his eyes shut. He was in pain. No doubt about it. But he was also growing weaker by the minute. And something told him this was too well thought out, to elaborate, to be as easy as his friend snipping a few wires.

0-0-0

A floor away, the team was prying open the external elevator doors, after overriding the security that kept guests and employees from randomly doing the same thing.

Even though he already knew exactly (down to the freaking millimeter) what the view was going to be, and even though he knew that every second counted, he still gasped and closed his eyes for a moment, pressing his back against the comfortingly solid wall.

Jack saw his partner's knuckles go white gripping the edges of the doors. He looked out over the edge himself and grimaced just a little. Jack wasn't, and never had been, afraid of heights in the slightest. But even he had to admit it was a little uncomfortable here standing on the edge of this elevator access with the street twenty-odd stories below.

"Hey, Mac," he said, a slight teasing lilt in his voice.

"Yeah?" he answered, eyes still closed, voice tight.

"Remember to breath, kid." Then he couldn't help himself. "Cuz if you just pass out and fall off, it's a long way down."

Mac opened his eyes to glare at Jack for a second. "It sure as Hell is. Approximately ninety meters."

"Riley?"

"Right. Jack dummy talk. Almost three hundred feet, Jack."

She flashed him a little grin. She was actually pretty comfortable here. If she was honest, since he'd been back, she'd been looking for excuses to spend time with Jack. Maybe it was time to take him up on those skydiving lessons he'd been offering for years.

It was enough of one of those "like the old days" moments that Mac felt something click into place in his head and his head was back in the game. He squinted down at the top of the elevator.

"Damn," he mumbled, taking in the blinking lights on an entirely out of place box.

Riley raised an eyebrow. "So … I'm guessing all elevators aren't equipped with one of those."

Mac sighed and mumbled under his breath, "Because Madagascar was definitely a fluke in the old luck department."

"What was that, kid?"

"I said I'm gonna need to get down there and get a closer look."

Mac started to peel off his jacket and look around for a means to get himself down the fifteen or so feet below the service access.

Jack held up a hand. "Hey now, why don't ya let old Jack go have a look at that? Repelling down from crazy high places is what I like to eat for breakfast. It's what I do, Mac."

Mac was already assembling a device to lower himself down to that box. "And weird wired up boxes that look like they're designed to kill people is what I do." His apprehension about making the descent was lost almost completely in his determination to figure out what that was and how to get it out of the way to save Charlie.

"Yeah, but scaling buildings kinda isn't," Jack hedged. He didn't love this. He'll, he didn't even like it. Pretty much hated it even.

Riley gave Mac one of her 'can you believe this guy' grins. "Dubai says your wrong."

Mac managed a grin back and then refocused on his task. "And this is gonna be a helluva lot safer than vacuum suction cups."

He stood to anchor his descent rig. Jack patted him on the shoulder. "A'ight then Spider Mac, just tell us whatcha need."

"Get our comms back up and watch my anchor point."

"You bet, kid," Jack began, but Mac was already out over the edge lowering himself down.

Both Riley and Jack leaned out to watch is climb. "Well, okay then," Jack mumbled. Damned if he could get the kid to finish a conversation the last few weeks.

This time, Riley squeezes Jack's shoulder. "Give him a break, Jack. You know if he gave himself too much time to think about stuff like this, he'd never be able to go through with it."

"I don't know if that's true, Ri. You've seen Mac in some bad spots, but I've seen him near bleedin' out and still under fire and … there's no quit in that kid."

Riley looked back down at Mac and there was a subtle shift in her expression that Jack didn't quite know how to interpret. "You ever gonna stop calling him kid?" she asked fondly.

Jack chuckled. "Right around the same time I stop callin' you kid, kid."

Riley got a notification on her laptop. She touched her earpiece. "Comm check."

"Copy," came simultaneously from both Matty and Oversight.

"Mac?" she prompted after a minute.

There was a long pause. She was almost ready to try again, but the second his feet touched the solid top of the elevator and he could hug the wall with one shoulder, there was an audible sigh, followed by, "Copy."

Instead of speaking through the microphone, Riley called out, "Whatta we got, Mac?"

Mac didn't answer for a few moments, just inspected the device carefully. "Looks like something I'd build myself if I wanted to drop an elevator," Mac answered, bot over the comms, like he wasn't even thinking about it. Then he got quiet again, looking around the device and all its connections, almost managing to forget Charlie stuck in the box underneath him and the street far below.

Jack looked at Riley funny, muting his own earpiece for a second. She didn't need him to voice his question out loud to know what he was asking. "The comms work from half a world away. We all know we can be in contact without being in the same boat. But we're with him. If we talk off comms it helps us remember we're together. That we're not out here alone."

"When did you get so wise?" he asked, and he'd meant it to sound teasing, but that wasn't how it came out.

"When you weren't around to dole out your usual Jackisms I guess." She'd meant that to sound teasing, but there was still a hint of resentment, a touch of pain.

He was going to say something, probably apologize again for leaving them so abruptly, but a crackle on the comms let them know Mac needed them.

"Say again, Mac?" Jack said as he tapped his earpiece back to life.

"Hey guys, we're looking at a homemade cable cutting device here," he said with a soft sort of wondering dread as he sent a picture to Riley's rig and to Phoenix.

Matty cut in, "Can you disable it?"

"I don't know," Mac said, his voice taking on an almost unfamiliar edge.

Jack didn't need to hear it to know Mac swallowed hard. Then he did the thing that always let Jack know (and Riley, too; he could tell from her expression) that he felt uncertain and under immense pressure. He started over-explaining himself a bit.

"A control box has redundancies and multiple triggers. And it's wired to the sensors on the glass in the elevator, so we can't rescue Charlie without triggering it."

"Well, now that we know what we're looking at, we better see what we can do for Charlie while Phoenix has a look at the images you sent," Riley said, packing her rig back into her bag.

Mac nodded, looking up like he wanted to make the climb again about as much as he'd want to let someone drill all his teeth with no novacaine.

Jack muted his comm again and called down. "I'll haul you up the easy way, kid," and he gestured for Mac to just hang tight in his improvised harness.

He saw the quick flash of a smile from Mac and a thumbs up instead of an answer. Between Jack and Riley together, they had Mac back inside and the three of them headed back down to Charlie in less than two minutes.

0-0-0

It didn't take them long to get Charlie out of his bonds and starting to deal with his leg. As his brief story unfolded, Mac's stomach felt something like a very large snake was in there, coiling around his spine.

Charlie knew this was even worse than it looked. Mac saw no percentage in trying to keep the details of what had worry stamped so clearly across his face. Charlie could always tell when he was hiding something. The only other person he'd ever met who was as good at it was Jack.

"There's a cutting device on your elevator's main cable, and anything that we do to try and get you out will trigger it."

Charlie nodded. Worse than a bomb. He should have known. "Anyone who went through that kind of trouble probably disabled the elevator's safety features, too."

Mac almost smiled at Charlie's coolheaded assessment of his own mortal peril. No wonder they were friends. "Every single one."

Charlie shrugged, and looked hopefully at Mac, Riley, and Jack."So what's the plan, guys?"

Mac managed to force one corner of his lips up. "You'll be the first to know when I've got one."

He didn't sound as sure as Charlie would have liked to hear, and Charlie didn't much care for the concern he could read on Jack and Riley's faces either. But the man with no plan who still made miracles happen was who Mac was. Charlie gave him an encouraging nod and met his eyes in a look that said, "You can do this, pal. Because I need you to. He just said, "All right."

0-0-0

Back out on the roof of that elevator, Mac couldn't decide if he felt old and like maybe retiring from the spy game was a good idea, or if he felt too young to be out here doing what he was doing. When it was his own life, that was one thing. The lives of even strangers were harder to hold in his hands. But a friend like Charlie, a brother? He was shaking a little and there wasn't even any point in trying to hide it.

He was tired and sweaty and cold and wired all at the same time. This time Jack hadn't let him make the descent alone though. "You got this, Mac," he said with total assurance when he saw Mac hesitate to begin.

Oversight joined in with his own support. Angus, I've examined the control box, and I'm confident that disabling it is a straightforward procedure."

"Agreed."

Mac sat back a bit. He appreciated their confidence. He really did. But something was still bothering him. Not the general something that had been keeping him from decent sleep lately. Something specific. "Um … does the design look familiar to you though?"

Jack frowned and squatted down to get a closer look at what Mac was peering at. Oversight cleared his throat. "I wasn't gonna bring that up until after you were done, but yeah, its construction is similar to the bomb that was placed on my SUV."

Mac's stomach dropped likecthe elevator beneath him had let go. Mac hadn't gotten a look at that device until after it nearly killed Boze, but how simple that had seemed and how complicated it turned out to be worried him, made him question his initial assessment of the device, made him doubt the confidence they all had that he could get Charlie out of this safely. He asked the question he didn't really want an answer to. "Think it's made by the same guy?"

Mac's jaw tightened just a little when his concerns were brushed off and Oversight started to talk him through disarming the device like he was a rookie. "First clip the relay, then the primary trigger, then the power source."

_Yeah, I know that, Dad_, he thought. What was said wasn't important. The fact that he was breaking up over local comms was. "Say again?"

"Relay, primary trigger, power source," Oversight repeated. This time there was even more static.

"Is there a problem?" Oversight asked. He hadn't expected Angus to need coaching here.

Jack picked up on what Mac was thinking. "I'm thinkin' maybeproblyhaps there is. Interference. That ain't good."

"No, it isn't. Hey, Ri, can you scan the comms frequencies. The feedback is worse the closer I am to the control box."

"I'm on it." There were a few moments of her clicking. "That interference is actually a signal being transmitted from an adjacent frequency. I'm tracing it now."

A few endless minutes in the chilling wind passed. "Anything?" Mac asked, weirdly sort of hoping their comms were just on the fritz.

"It's going to a nearby hotel."

Oversight sounded quietly concerned to Mac's ears. "Our suspect could be on the other end of that transmission waiting for confirmation their device activated."

That was the voice he'd gotten used to lately. He was still Oversight, sure. But he was also just Dad. That was weirdly reassuring.

"What do we do with that not especially reassuring information?" Jack drawled, glad he and Mac were both attached to safety harnesses in case this damned thing let go. He knew the idea of losing Charlie was unacceptable to Mac, but suddenly, hearing the plain fatherly concern coming out of a mouth he was still not used to sounding like Mac was anything more than an asset, all he wanted was to get the kid someplace less freaking precarious so he could really think.

Matty glanced at Oversight and frowned. That was real fear in her bosses eyes. She made a snap decision and she would deal with how Jim felt about her taking command when her agents weren't on the line. "Hey, Mac, hold on disabling that device. We're gonna go grab this guy first."

Jack saw Mac's shoulders sag in relief. "Copy that, Matty."

Jack killed his comms again. "Spidey senses tingling again, bud?"

Mac turned off his comms for a moment too, looking up at Jack with a heavy line forming across his otherwise smooth forehead. "They haven't stopped."


	4. Chapter 4

When the Phoenix team discovered the vats of acid in the hotel basement a few blocks away, Mac felt a cold certainty that there was more to this already complicated situation than any of them had dared contemplate.

When his phone rang and it was a blocked number, he went cold all over for about the fifth time in the last few hours. His lips felt numb as he spoke. "Who is this?"

He knew something in his expression must have changed, albeit against his will, when the man responsible for this mess spoke because Jack went strangely still when he met Mac's eyes, and he paled slightly.

The man on the other end of the conversation spoke with an icy anger disguised as dispassion. Mac could hear the rage contained there. He knew better than anyone what boxed up emotions did to tone.

"I want you to make a choice, between the life of your friend and the lives of several hundred innocent strangers in that hotel."

Mac stiffened. "There's no way I'm gonna do that, so …"

"Yes, you are," the killer returned, coolly cutting him off. "By now you've found my second device, and you deduced that the two are connected."

Mac's breath left him in an involuntary sigh. Now, not just his lips, but his hands were numb, too. "Why are you doing this?"

There was a bare vulnerability there that caused Jack and Riley both to step a little closer to him. Mac turned slightly away from them, almost like he'd protect them from this phone call.

"Just focus on the fact that people are going to die today, and the only thing that you can control is who's doing the dying."

Mac swallowed hard, but managed to sound determined when he spoke again. "And if I choose to do nothing and leave both devices alone?"

He could hear the cold smile in the man's reply. "Then both devices deploy and everyone dies." Mac's teeth ground together until it hurt. "And if you try to evacuate that hotel, same result.

You have until, say the top of the hour before you make your choice."

Mac was about to try to bargain for more time, but the call had ended. Mac had the overwhelming, completely Jack Dalton inspired urge to hurl his phone across the room. His hand even clenched around the familiar rectangle and his muscles tended. Then he just puffed out a determined little breath and filled in the rest of the team as to what the killer had said.

Mac only about half heard Marty's assessment of the situation.

"Either Charlie falls to his death in that glass box, or the Sunset View Hotel collapses, killing everyone inside?"

There was a long moment of silence. Riley reached out and touched Mac's elbow. He flinched like she's startled him. But he finally answered Matty. "Yeah. Pretty much." He looked at his watch and took a very deliberate breath.

"And I have twenty-three minutes and seven seconds to disable one of those control boxes, or they both go off."

Jack, Matty, Riley, Oversight, and even Bozer all started throwing out possible solutions. Mac ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "No, no, no.

They're both cross-wired, just like the bomb under Dad's SUV."

Riley's face lit up. "So … We'll get an identical transmitter. Just like we did then!"

Mac felt hope flicker briefly. Then he looked nervously at Charlie again. "I ... No, no, that won't work, either." He sighed again. "Obviously whoever we're dealing with has learned from their mistake."

Matty's characteristic practical and slightly sarcastic description of their options penetrated his thoughts more readily the second time around. Instead of breaking his tension a little or earning a wry Kobiashi Moru reference before he got to work, she heard the distinct click of him killing his comms.

As Matty started giving orders to everyone else, Mac stepped away from the immediate scene, glancing around to be certain he was out of Charlie's line of sight. He leaned against the wall like bearing his own weight was too much for him and took a shuddering breath.

Jack's hand was suddenly on his shoulder. "It's nothing you can't handle, Mac."

Riley was right behind him. "He's right, Mac. The guy might be good. But he's no MacGyver."

Mac shook his head. "I don't know what …"

Jack took him by both shoulders, and gently forced eye contact. "You've handled crazier stuff than this plenty of times, kid."

"Charlie's …"

Riley jumped in, shouldering Jack out of the way and pulling Mac into a brief reassuring hug. "Is a pro. And he's okay for now. You'll get him out of there. This is what you do."

Mac hugged her back, raising an eyebrow over her shoulder at the expression Jack was wearing.

"Thanks, Ri," he said, releasing her. "I appreciate your faith in me. Both of you … but …"

"Hey, now," Jack began.

Riley didn't wait for one of Jack's reassurances or one of Mac's counter arguments. This tentative Mac was new. And it worried her. It worried Jack, too. She could tell. This time she was the one to duck in front of him and look directly in his eyes. "But nothing," she said firmly. "Okay?"

He nodded, sighing again. "Yeah." _Not like I've got much choice. _

Jack extended a fist and Mac reached out reflexively and bumped it. "You got this," Jack drawled with a firm nod.

Mac nodded in return, his eyes hardening. "I'm gonna go back out there and get another look."

"Now you're talkin' kid."

0-0-0

Mac had been up and down between outside on top of the elevator and inside checking on Charlie and looking at those sensors three times when Oversight arrived.

"Any progress?" he asked Mac crisply, barely acknowledging Jack or Riley.

"No!" Mac snapped. Then he blinked and shook his head. "Sorry. How about you? Anything?"

"Not specifically. Let's workshop this though," he offered.

Jack and Riley followed the meeting of the MacGyver minds. They kept throwing worries looks at each other as Mac got increasingly agitated.

Finally, Mac spun off to the side, throwing up his hands and dragging them both through his hair, pulling a little, like maybe he could get a workable solution out of his head that way. As Oversight tried to get Mac back on track, Riley pulled Jack aside. Jack didn't take his eyes off Mac though.

"He was just like this in the catacombs," she said quietly.

"Panicked?" Jack asked, his brow furrowing further as Mac's distress increased visibly. He really wanted to step in and try to help but he really didn't want to step on Oversight's toes right now.

"No …" Riley hedged. She'd seen Mac panicked before. Like the day they were over the French countryside with only balloons and a trampoline between them and a ten thousand foot drop. Mac wasn't even coherent up there, just mumbling to himself and trying to grab onto anything he could dig his fingers into. "This is almost worse than panic … he … it was like he just lost all faith in himself and blamed himself for it all at once."

Jack patted her on the shoulder and stepped toward Mac and his dad, consequences be damned. "You alright, kid?"

Oversight was clearly repeating himself, but said in a patient, level voice, "Just take a breath, Angus."

Mac inhaled like it was an effort, and exhaled sharply. Then managed a more measured breath. A hard line had formed across Mac's forehead. "Whoever this guy is, he's completely boxed us in!"

"Well, then," Jack said. "We'll just have to think outside the box, huh?"

Mac closed his eyes for a second and took another deliberate breath. Then he opened them and nodded at Jack. "Right. Okay. Yeah. We improvise. That's our thing."

He started to move to get another look at the sensors in the elevator. Jack was right. Boxed in was where he and his team thrived. As he was about to step away his father caught his sleeve. "Angus, look …"

"Yeah, Dad?" he said, after a second's hesitation. Then he frowned. He wasn't one to slip out of their professional roles while a mission was on.

Oversight caught the slip, too, and his own face creased in lines of concern. This wasn't a situation where a neat solution was likely. And it had been a year, no, more than a year, where things didn't shake out like he'd hoped, all too often. He understood what Dalton was trying to do. His unique brand of cheerleading had gotten them through some strange circumstances over the years. And maybe it would work here, too. But it might not. Something told him, in fact, that it wouldn't.

James MacGyver looked at the young man in front of him very seriously. "Son, in our line of work, sometimes we only get to choose between bad and worse."

Mac looked past his father and over at Jack and Riley. Then his eyes went back to his father and he shook his head almost stubbornly. "The people in that hotel are innocent, and Charlie was just doing his job."

Oversight nodded. "My point exactly."

The desperate look flared back to life on Mac's face. "No," he said softly. "I can't." He shuddered But didn't seem to realize it. "I-I can't."

He started to step away again, but his father stopped him again. "I've made a lot of hard choices in my career, and sometimes it's hard to live with the consequences." Mac shook his head again, like denying what was being said might get him out of having to deal with it. "But when the clock runs out, we're gonna have to make a call here, son."

Mac tried to come up with something rational, something mission focused that would show Oversight his head was in the game, but when he opened his mouth all that came out was a whispered, "Why is he doing this to us?"

James shrugged. "This moral dilemma wasn't just designed to jeopardize Charlie's life, but to make you suffer."

Again, Mac wanted to acknowledge the strategic play being made, to use the information to come up with some kind of logical counter attack. But he just didn't seem able to get there. "Why?"

Damn it, he sounded like a kid. He blinked hard and looked away.

Oversight patted his shoulder in a warm gesture Jack wasn't used to seeing just yet. Mac seemed to appreciate it, to need it even, so Jack decided that it was probably a good thing even if he wasn't happy that what the boss had said seemed to slow Mac down again by reminding him this might not work out. "That's a question for later. Right now, don't let it cloud your head."

Mac nodded. Jack caught his eye again. "You can do this, Mac. Just do what you do. Work the problem. I've … _We've_ … got your back."

One corner of his mouth tipped up.

Riley moves closer. "We believe in you, Mac. If anyone can figure this out it's you."

Oversight added. "I couldn't agree more."

Mac looked around slowly, then started chewing his lip. Everyone watching knew he'd thought of something when he started to fish out his Swiss Army knife.

"We've been given a problem that we can't solve, so let's solve one that we can."

Mac started moving.

Jack moves to follow. "Mac, wait up! Whatcha need?"

Oversight stopped him with a look. "Remember what we talked about, Dalton."

Jack nodded solemnly. "Absolutely, sir." Riley cocked an eyebrow, but Jack ignored it and started after his partner again. "Mac, where you goin'?"


	5. Chapter 5

Mac felt things start to click into place as he applied Atwood's Machine Problem and its principles to the elevator situation. Something eased in his chest as he worked the problem and he started to feel back in control. Even questions from his father, from the rest of the team just focused him now, instead of making him feel overly pressured or like things were going to fall apart.

He easily explained what he was doing and everyone was right there to help him with whatever he needed almost immediately. The only thing that distracted him even slightly was noticing his father and Jack standing away from everyone talking. Mac frowned.

Riley bent to give him a bottle of water. She saw the strange look he was giving Jack and Oversight. "Everything okay, Mac?"

He handed her back the water and bent back over his work. "Thanks, Ri."

"Nice try, kid," she said in her very best Jack impression.

"What did I tell you about that?" Mac said, flashing her a wry smirk.

"That when I want to, I sound just like Jack?"

"I mean, mostly what I remember saying was not to do it, but … Yeah. Almost exactly like. Your hair is gonna start greying and you're probably gonna start mispronouncing 17% of all common words any minute."

She snickered. "Seriously though."

He shrugged. "I don't know. There's something going on between …"

Jack stride over and interrupted. "Hey, kid. How's that cable loopy thing comin'?"

"Almost there," Mac said absently, not looking up. "What did my d … Oversight … want?"

Jack casually stuck his hands in his pockets. "Just wanted to check in on your progress, bud. And he wanted to know if you want a hand with securing it."

"Was he volunteering to go down to the elevator?"

Oversight came over then. "I certainly would if you don't want to go out there again, Angus."

Mac's eyes flicked up to his father's face. "I was kidding. I'll take care of both ends. But I wouldn't hate an extra pair of hands on either side." He paused. He knew his father had been at the infusion clinic for chemo earlier today. "If you're feeling up to it."

Oversight offered a small smile. "I'm happy to help."

And he did.

Mac appreciated having a team member who understood his scientific verbal shorthand. This was a fairly complex engineering problem, and the life of one of his best and oldest friends was on the line with his solution.

He also appreciated the solid presence of his partner. Jack has been quiet lately. At least it seemed that way to Mac. But he was back. And that was enough.

As his secondary cable system fell into place, Mac felt his previous tension ease and a familiar calm settle over him. Things were going to be okay. Matty and Riley were working on methods of finding the crazy son of a bitch who perpetrated this. Jack was right on his elbow offering the kind of support it had been hard to admit he'd been missing. And his father … well, maybe Mac had been being paranoid. Things had been good between them for the most part. Mac had only been feeling a weird tension lately. Maybe he was finally feeling a tension of his own creation that Bozer pointed out a while ago.

Boze has said, "I know you don't think about it like this, Mac, but they're both kind of your dad sometimes. Just one of them you know how you feel about with less complication."

Jack was more like a big brother, even in Mac's more emotionally vulnerable moments. Because he didn't really know how to have a dad, to be honest. But he got what Bozer was saying.

Heading back down from the roof with Jack, Mac caught his partner giving him a look of concern. "Sorry," Mac said with a reasonably sincere grin. "I'm doing that thinking too loud thing again, huh?"

"Actually, I was wondering what's on your mind, kid."

"I was just thinking … Oh, hey, Dad."

"How's it look?"

"I think we're ready."

"Excellent. I'm going to head back over to the hotel. Agent Dalton?"

"Yessir?"

"You're with me?"

"Sir?"

"Mac's got this under control. And I may need your help clearing the hotel."

Mac flashed them both a tentative smile. "We should be good here. Good luck."

"You too, kid." Jack was frowning, but also seemed ready to just do what Oversight was asking, even if he didn't like it.

Bozer and Riley approached them then. Riley nudged Bozer gently with her elbow. "Uh, sir, I was thinking I could go help you clear the hotel. Mac might need some muscle here to get Charlie out once the cable device deploys."

There was an immediate tension in Oversight's shoulders. _Okay, maybe I haven't been imagining things._ Mac didn't want to argue, but he also didn't want Jack taking off with his father right now.

"That would be great. Good idea, Boze," Mac said with a nod. Then he proceeded like Boze's suggestion had been accepted. "Jack, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to get one more look at the box on the cutting rig. Could you set the harnesses for one last trip out?"

"I'm on it Mac!" Jack agreed, raising an eyebrow at Oversight when he walked by. "Sir," he nodded on his way by.

Oversight gave Bozer a funny look that made the young agent shift like he'd just been sent to the principal's office. He let out a small sigh. "Alright Bozer, let's get a move on."

Bozer spun around crisply and headed for the stairs. Wanting to say something to make sure his father wasn't upset about them freelancing with his plan, Mac stepped a little closer to his father. "Hey, Dad, uh, thanks for the talk earlier.

I was spiraling, and, um, …" Mac swallowed hard. The statement started as a way to make sure things were okay between him and his dad, but once he opened his mouth, he felt an uncomfortable twinge. He _had _been spiraling.

His father patted his shoulder affectionately. "Angus, I'm your dad. You never have to say thank you for anything."

He gave Mac's shoulder another squeeze. Then he walked away in the direction Bozer had gone. Mac just stood there for a moment watching him go.

That was a nice thing to say.

It should have warmed him. It was the sort of thing he used to long for his father to say. But it didn't. That wasn't their relationship. Demanding thanks, expecting things from Mac, including forgiveness for leaving and manipulating him, was their relationship. Mac sighed. Maybe he meant it.

Maybe things were finally changing for the better.

Somehow, that didn't seem likely.

Mac sighed, then he headed off to catch up to jack and take one more look at the elevator rig before the zero hour.


	6. Chapter 6

He was pale and sweaty and the lines of pain around his eyes were all to visible, but so was his faith in his friend. Charlie's confidence in Mac's solution meant a lot. Mac offered a reassuring nod. "Only a couple more minutes, pal. Medics are standing by."

This time Charlie put his fist up to the glass and Mac bumped it. Then he turned to the rest of the team. Jack tossed him one of his characteristic 'let's do this' grins. "Are we ready?"

Mac nodded, and his voice sounded confident. "Yeah, we're ready."

Bozer's voice came over the comms. "We're in position."

"Affirmative," Oversight agreed. "When Charlie's elevator is secure, give me the word, and I'll disable the control box here."

Mac nodded. "Copy that. Stand by." He started directing Jack and the other Phoenix team members in the last steps of his end of this rescue mission.

Mac fell into the rhythm of the mission. Goal oriented, outcome focused. It wasn't that he forgot a close friend's life was on the line; it was more that he was able to put it in a box. That's something he found harder and harder to do over the last several months.

He felt … not good … but … normal. Like things were finally getting back to where they belonged. He knew Charlie was going to be spending some time getting patched up, but when Medical cut him loose, Mac was buying an extremely large quantity of beer and getting everyone back to his place to char some cow (well, he'd let Jack and Boze do the cooking) and drink too much and celebrate the team, their family, being back on an even keel.

He tapped Jack's arm to let him know he was on the move again. "Hey, I'm gonna let Charlie know we're a go."

"Right behind ya, bud," Jack answered.

As they headed down the hallway toward the elevator, Mac glanced at Jack striding along next to him. "I'm glad you're back, man."

"Me, too, kid."

"You ready to fess up?"

"To what?"

"The 'truth'."

"What truth?"

"The thing I asked you on the …"

Mac's phone rang again. He pulled it out of his pocket and saw that it was once again an unknown number. He huffed a frustrated sigh.

"What?" he snapped.

"It's no surprise to me that a smart boy like you would recognize Atwood's Machine Problem.

So it shouldn't be a surprise to you that I took steps to make sure that you played by the rules."

As the killer made it clear that this was not going to go down the way they'd thought it was, Mac's expression got increasingly worried, his voice increasingly tight.

"As I said, someone is going to die today, and you choose who it is."

The call went dead.

Mac looked around frantically.

His movements became less purposeful and more erratic.

Jack stopped him. "What is it, Mac?"

Both hands ran through his hair. He swallowed a couple of times before he could get his voice to work. "The rope rig's not gonna work." His voice cracked. He cleared his throat. "He knew what I was gonna do before I did it."

"What do we do?" Jack asked. Mac just shook his head, eyes growing wider. "Mac, buddy, c'mon. Think."

Oversight picked up on their conversation at that moment. "Angus, what's happening?" When Mac didn't answer him, his tone took on a bit of sharpness. "We're down to less than a minute."

"I know that! Don't you think I know that?!"

"We need to take next steps quickly or both devices will deploy. Time to pull the pin on your end, son."

"It's not gonna work."

"This is our only option right now, Angus."

"It _isn't _an option." Mac's hands were in his hair again, and he'd started pacing. Riley moved closer in time to hear him snap, "We have to come up with something else."

Jack and Riley exchanged a look. Mac didn't know what to do. Didn't even have an inkling. Oversight demanded. "What? Why? There's no time." Mac still didn't answer.

"Mac."

Mac looked up. Charlie had called out to him through the glass. Mac closed the distance between them quickly. Charlie stepped close to the glass and asked quietly. "What's going on?"

Mac exhaled slowly, sounding like a leaky balloon. He met Charlie's eye for a split second, then looked away. "Uh …"

"Plan's a no-go, huh?" Charlie asked. His voice was gentle. Resigned.

Mac shook his head. He was _not _going to lose Charlie today. "Just give me a minute."

Charlie shook his head. The rest of the team was coming closer, but Charlie was looking only at Mac. "I don't have a minute to give, Mac."

"I … we could …"

Charlie was almost touching the glass. "It's okay, Mac."

That was goodbye. _No! _Mac shook his head, but didn't seem able to come up with any words to match that denial. His mind raced with hopeless possibilities. Charlie's voice brought him back to an unacceptable present.

"If the roles were reversed, and it was you in here, what would you do?"

Mac shook his head again. "I'd figure a way out." His voice was shaking. There wasn't a way out. Not that didn't involve killing hundreds of innocent people trapped in a hotel so close that if it collapsed they'd hear it here.

Charlie shook his head. Poor kid. He never could accept the casualties of war. Charlie finally took in the people surrounding Mac. Jack and Riley already wore expressions of pure horror at what they knew this was going to do to their friend. There was only one way this was going to end anyway. So Charlie made a soldier's decision. Spare the innocent. Whenever possible. Today, that meant Mac, too.

His eyes returned to Mac's. The way Mac flinched, Charlie knew his pain, the weight of this decision, his natural fear of the end were all stamped there. He hoped his love and admiration, his faith that Mac would make this worthwhile were written there, too. "What if there isn't a way? What would you do?"

Mac shook his head again, but it wasn't simple denial this time. It was almost a plea. _Don't do this. There has to be a way. _But there wasn't, and they both knew it. "I think we both know the answer, man."

This time Mac managed. "If you just …"

Charlie interrupted. If he didn't act now, he'd lose his nerve. "Promise me one thing." Mac stepped closer. "You got Pena's killer. Get mine."

"No."

He couldn't watch this happen. Couldn't _let _it happen. He had to do something.

Charlie struck the glass. Mac felt it through his home body, like the blow was breaking his bones from the inside.

"Charlie No!"

Another blow to the glass. It was like the whole building shook with it.

"Stop! Stop, Charlie!" Mac begged.

This couldn't be the end. He couldn't fail Charlie like this.

"Stop! Charlie, stop!"

The glass cracked.

It spidered.

A high pitched beeping started, but Mac only half heard it over the blood rushing in his ears.

Another strike and pieces started to fall away.

"Charlie, stop!"

Charlie's eyes met Mac's one last time.

_Don't let this be for nothing, kid. Make him pay._

"Stop!" he cried out. He knew he couldn't stop this. But he also couldn't accept it. It was like being torn in half.

The glass broke.

Suddenly, the cable gave way.

_Was cut. And you let it be cut. _

The elevator plummeted. Mac lunged forward like somehow he could stop it. He didn't feel the hands catching him, pulling him back from his dangerous position at the edge of the gaping hole in the side of the building.

All he felt was every centimeter the elevator fell. It was so high his brain didn't even want to take it in, recoiled from the images in front of him.

There was no shaft to build up a cushion of air pressure beneath it. He felt that. The absence of hope. The increasing velocity. The force with which to box crashed into the earth, sending up a cloud of dust and debris.

His brain unhelpfully did the math.

Oversight's voice, along with Bozer's, and Matty's, spoke in his ear. He moved slowly, removing it, and sliding it into his pocket. He didn't have any answers to anything they were saying. Not that he could make himself say out loud anyway.

He just stood there, on the edge of empty space, almost teetering over himself, not quite able to breathe. Finally, his lungs demanded oxygen and started working on their own, panting, but at least drawing in air.

Then came a thought that felt semi-helpful. At twenty-ish floors, there was a possibility of survival. With that realization, Mac spun away from the open doors and started toward the stairs. He realized Riley and Jack both had their hands on him.

Riley was shaking like a leaf, but made an effort to pull him into her arms. Jack was saying something, but Mac didn't process it. He shouldered past both of them and took the stairs two or three at a time, stumbling and nearly wiping out several times.

He needn't have hurried.

It was very clear that the medical team surrounding the elevator had already made the call that there was no urgency. One of them stepped back to speak into their radio and Mac got a glimpse inside the rubble.

His stomach clenched in horror. His throat tightened. He blinked rapidly. The scene around him transformed to the blinding hellscape of a bright day in Afghanistan when the Ghost had first made things personal. That flash of Al's death transformed into the hundreds of times he and Charlie had faced death together. The times Charlie had trusted him to get them out alive.

He started to shake with the crushing sense of his failure, of Charlie being cut out of his life by someone else making a fight he didn't understand, hadn't chosen, personal.

He didn't remember getting there, but the next time Mac was really aware of his surroundings, he was in the men's room, leaning against the counter in front of the mirror. His hair was damp around the edges, but his face was dry, course restroom paper towel wadded up in his hand. He let out a slow deliberate breath. It was shaky, but he was back in complete control.

He was crumpling up the paper towel the rest of the way when the door opened behind him. Jack leaned in tentatively and he squinted at Mac's reflection in the mirror. "Hey, kid."

Mac chucked the paper towel in the trash. He turned to Jack and leaned his back against the counter. "Hey."

Jack perched on the counter next to him, giving him the option of not making eye contact. "I'm not gonna ask if you're alright …"

Mac glanced at him. "Good."

"I _am_ gonna ask if there's anything you need."

Mac shook his head. "No." A shiver at the sudden glaring absence of Charlie in his life, jerked his tense shoulders.

Jack put a careful hand on one and squeezed gently. "Is there anything I can do?"

Mac closed his eyes for a long moment. They were hot and dry, which he recognized as a harbinger of breaking down. Well, of breaking down again. He'd had a rough couple of minutes when he came in here, he remembered. He didn't have time for that. Not now.

He pushed off from the counter and faced Jack. "Yeah. There is. Help me get this guy. Help me … do what …" He gritted his teeth for a second. "Help me do what Charlie asked."

"You've got it, kid. Ri's already out there bossin' everybody around for ya."

Mac offered a small smile. Of course she was. "Okay. Good. She always knows what to do."

Jack nodded his head. "She's been there for you a lot while I was gone, huh?"

Mac swallowed hard and nodded. "Yeah," he admitted.

"And you've been there for her. You've had to be there for each other."

Mac gave a little shrug. He hoped Ri didn't make a big deal out of him stepping in when Jack was gone. That's what friends did. "Yeah, I guess."

"More than you should have had to … Mac, I'm sorry, I …"

Mac held up a hand, the mask of control sliding back over his face. "Jack, don't. I can't. Not now."

He couldn't deal with any of that. Though he felt a flicker of temper that had flashed like lightning off and on since Jack had left. Then the rage he felt at the man who had just callously ended the life of a good man, boiled back up.

He embraced his anger. It felt hot, clean. And it drowned out his sorrow. He welcomed it.

Jack saw the shift, and nodded. "I know, I'm … let's go out there and get you what you need. Then we'll talk."

Mac pushed open the bathroom door and stride out. "Let's get this son of a bitch."


	7. Chapter 7

Back at Phoenix, though Oversight put in his two cents occasionally, Matty and Riley did most of the talking. Despite the fact that he could see fine tremors of tension coursing through his partner, Jack had to smile just a little. He hadn't been gone all that long, but it seemed that anything left of the little girl he'd missed out on finishing raising was gone. Riley was in command in a way that reminded him of Matty, of Sarah, hell, of Mac. All grown up.

_She plays her cards right she'll be running the Phoenix one of these days. _

Then he looked at Mac. Jack's small smile at Riley's easy confidence morphed into a grimace of concern. Mac's eyes were on the screen, he was even nodding from time to time, his eyes traveling from speaker to speaker. But Jack knew the look. And, as it always did, it scared him a little. Mac, the real Mac that oh so few people ever really got to know was gone, locked away.

_Elliot Mason. The man who murdered Charlie because he has some bone to pick with me. Elliot Mason. Elliot Mason._

The name careened around in Mac's head, gathering speed and volume. The part of his brain that needed to work the problem and keep talking did its job, but the part where Mac really lived would never remember what he said later. All he could think about was that Charlie was gone, that Mason was the reason, that Mason has targeted him, another in a long list of psychos who seemed to think he was an interesting pastime.

All those past encounters played in his head. _Pena. __**Mason. **__The day of 1000 IEDs. __**Mason. **__The junkyard with Murdoc. __**Mason. **__The basement Mac had been kept and tortured by the killer. __**Mason. **__Jill. __**Mason. **__Nasha, trapped in a concrete box. __**Mason. **__Having to say goodbye to her. __**Mason. **__Helman. __**Mason. **__The bullet ripping through his shoulder, supposedly saving his life. __**Mason. **_ _Helman resurfacing. __**Mason. **__The Catacombs. _That last, that was the one, more than any of the others, that made his legs want to turn to water even now. _**Mason.**_

Mac recognized the familiar loop of obsession in his thoughts. After the Catacombs in Paris, Matty had gotten especially (_motherly) _pushy and made him talk to the company shrink. Mac knew the right things to say, knew the right answers to give, to get it dropped when the report made its way back to Matty.

But Dr. Miller had been right, even though he hadn't exactly been up front with her. He'd been obsessed with The Ghost, had actually been obsessed with finding his father, found himself occasionally obsessed with what Murdoc had wrought in his life. And obsession never led to anything good.

_**Mason. **__Okay, okay. Yeah, Mason is definitely dominating my thoughts. _He paused, realizing he hadn't thought about Charlie in a while, only Mason. _I can't deal with the Charlie stuff right now. I __**can**_ _get Mason._

The thought came with real confidence. He forced his attention outward again and caught Jack practically staring at him, looking like maybe he was thinking about bear hugging him into a couple of broken ribs. He couldn't quite manage a reassuring smile, but he did lock eyes with Jack. _I'm okay,_ the expression said. Then he blinked. _Well, not okay, but I can keep going. _Jack gave him a brief nod he hoped no one else noticed. Mac was trying to keep a lid on his feelings right now and if anyone was one millimeter off mission focused, Jack wasn't sure how Mac would react.

As the details of Mason's descent into the life of a domestic terrorist emerged, Mac's jaw hardened. It wouldn't be the first time someone took training and expertise they'd developed under the auspices of the U.S. government and used them for destructive purposes on American soil, but it was almost offensive to somebody like Mac.

Then when Bozer questioned why Mason might bear such a grudge against them, against Mac, Jim MacGyver's head shake and prompt denial, caused Mac's already tense expression to tighten even further, and one of his eyebrows went up. Jack knew that look, too. It was Mac's patented about to call bullshit expression.

He might have actually done it, too. Called out his father for saying something that sounded not just like skirting the truth, but like a blatant lie. But Matty revealed that they had a location. And it was close. That brought his promise to Charlie back to the fore.

"Alright," he said, with a calm and purpose that made Jack once again smile just a little. "Let's go get the bastard."

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea, son," Jim said, taking a step toward Mac.

Mac started angrily, "What do you mean …?"

But Matty stepped in. "I'm already assembling the team, Mac. You guys head to Tactical and gear up."

Mac nodded, a slight, grateful almost smile curling up one corner of his lips. Jack hazarded a pat on his shoulder. Mac stopped and turned toward Jack. "Glad you've got my back today, pal."

"Me, too, kid," Jack began and he would have said something more but Mac held up a hand to silence him, and took a step back toward the War Room. A second later, Jack heard why.

"I'm your boss, Director Webber."

"And I'm your DO. They're _my _ops team. No good could possibly come from benching my best agent."

"Mason is targeting him."

"And you know why."

A moment of total silence followed. Then, "I don't want them anywhere near each other."

"He'll never agree to sit this one out."

"Well, we have made improvements to the room Thornton set aside for him."

Jack could hear a mean little smile in Matty's voice. "Okay. _You_ go tell him."

Mac spun on his heel and started back toward Tactical at a fast clip. Jack followed.

A moment later, Oversight's voice stopped them. "Angus!"

Mac stopped. He didn't immediately turn around.

"Angus?" Oversight said again, this time a little more sternly.

Jack heard the click of Mac swallowing. When he turned, Jack turned with him and caught his expression. He felt almost cold with it, and those blue eyes that were suddenly full of ice weren't even trained on him.

"No," Mac said quietly.

"Pardon me?" Oversight said sharply.

Mac took a step back toward him, his shoulders stiff and squared. "I'm going to East LA with Tactical."

"Son, it's not a good idea."

"Me keeping my promise to Charlie by taking this guy Mason down? It's the only idea."

"Angus, don't make me make it an order."

Mac started to turn away again. "I'm going."

"I'll just have you escorted down to …"

"Go ahead." Jack's eyes widened a little bit, but he bit his tongue. He wanted to tear into Oversight himself. But Mac didn't need him butting in. Mac just completed the movement of putting his back to his father. "I don't care what you've done to that room," he said coldly, flatly letting his father know that he'd eavesdropped. "I'll be in the parking garage in less than ten minutes."

Oversight looked at Jack like he expected his support. Jack shrugged and started following Mac.

Before they reached the door to the stairs. Oversight called after him, "Full tac gear, Angus. And I'll be going with you."

Mac didn't turn around but did nod. "Yes, sir."


	8. Chapter 8

Oversight gestured for Mac to ride with him as the team prepared to roll out. Mac frowned. He sort of wanted to go with him. He could ask his father why he was so sure Mac shouldn't be involved in this takedown.

Of course, feeling as raw as he did, he might be inclined to be less than diplomatic. He didn't want to do that. Things were good between the two of them for the most part. And he had noticed his dad developing a little protective streak while Jack was away. This was probably just more of that. He was torn between the possibilities.

Jack saved him from any decision, good or bad, by calling to him from the SUV he'd called dibs on. "You comin' or what, Mac?"

"Be right there!" he called back, giving his father a shrug that said, he's my partner and now that he's back, I have to. What he was thinking was actually Jack, you're a lifesaver. _Thank you. _

He grabbed the gas masks he'd set down when he pretended like he had any intention of going back inside for a vest when its absence was noticed by one of the newer Tac team leaders who Desi had been cultivating to be her backup pain in the ass, and jogged over to climb in on the passenger side.

Jack gave him a long look after he pulled his door closed. Mac fastened his seatbelt, but when he looked back, Jack was still looking at him instead of starting the engine to leave. Mac reached up and turned off his comm. He forced a small smile that was gone before it really flickered to life.

"Let's go, Jack."

Jack didn't look away from him, but at least he turned the key.

"Like, now, maybe."

Jack hesitated, then he put the SUV in gear and started to pull out of the parking space. "You know I'd have thrown down if anybody tried to drag you down to that safe room."

"Yeah?" Mac said skeptically. "Because I seem to remember you were all for Thornton locking me up that day."

"And _I _seem to remember that I was the one waiting for you in the parking garage with your fancy little red knife that day."

"And I appreciated it." Mac sighed. "I don't know what that was all about, but …" He trailed off.

"Maybe he's finally figured out that sometimes he can't be both your dad and your boss and today the dad part was winning," Jack suggested quietly.

"That'd be a first," Mac mumbled. That wasn't true though, his brain insisted. Lately his father had seemed to … was 'care more' the phrase he was looking for?

Jack heard him, but didn't add anything.

Why the hell he'd ever encouraged Mac to find his old man was beyond him. The kid hadn't seemed properly happy since he'd laid eyes on Oversight. And even when he was insisting that things were good, there was a pain behind those blue eyes that made Jack want to punch somebody. Mostly himself, if he was honest. Why he'd agreed to leave was also kind of beyond him at the moment. He should have said no, should have told Mac everything months ago. But it had been pretty clear that wasn't on the table.

They drove toward the warehouse in relative silence, only interrupted by Jack responding to other members of Tactical when he had to. They were only about five minutes out when Mac suddenly turned to him in his seat. "It was my father, wasn't it?"

Jack's eyes widened and he didn't turn to his partner. "Huh?" Then he reached up and clicked off his comm, but offered nothing more.

Mac grimaced. He hated it when Jack played dumb. And that's what that response was. Well, okay, he didn't always hate it. Sometimes having to explain himself to Jack was exactly what he needed to get his head right on a mission. But not now. Not when it was just the two of them.

"Sending you that encrypted photo, making you question yourself, getting you digging and feeling responsible. Was it him?" Jack swallowed. "I recognize the tactics."

A long moment of silence followed. Mac let him have it. He was probably under orders not to say anything. But Mac couldn't stand for that. Not this time. He was about to speak, but Jack cleared his throat.

"Mac, you know I'd love to just tell you everything about the Kovac mission, but…"

"I can keep a secret you know. It's kinda my job."

"Mac, I … Dammit! I don't know what to say!"

"Lemme help," Mac said wryly. "If it was my dad just don't say anything."

Jack huffed a sigh. Mac needed to know someone was on his side. And, if he was really being honest, he wanted Mac to know. He smirked just a little and shook his head. "You're a real little shit, you know it?"

It was Mac's turn to sigh. It was a lonely, defeated sound. Jack figured Mac was bringing this up at all to get his mind off Charlie. Jack glanced over at him and Mac's face was still a war between wanting to cry and wanting to beat the hell out of somebody. Mac felt him looking, but turned toward the window. "I was afraid of that."

"I'm sorry, Mac, I …"

"Do you know why?"

No point in holding back now. "No." He sighed. "But he made it pretty clear you didn't get to know. He bought that silence with letting me bring in Desi. Otherwise he was going to assign Grohl to you."

"Yeah, cuz that wouldn't have gotten me killed," he growled under his breath. "Didn't Matty do anything?"

"He made it pretty clear he'd paint the stuff with Ethan in a bad light."

"Oh." Mac's hands flexed in and out of fists for a minute. "Thank you, Jack."

"What for? Violating national security for ya?"

Mac shrugged. But he also almost smiled. "Yeah. And making sure somebody had my back. She's … She was great."

"So great I shoulda stayed away?" he said in a teasing tone.

Mac didn't laugh.

"She called you."

"Huh?" Playing dumb just felt right.

"To come back. She called you." It wasn't a question. Better set him straight.

"No, well, not exactly. She was worried about you though."

Mac sighed. "Yeah." What he was thinking was _Not worried enough to stay. And you should have known. Everybody leaves you, Angus. That's just the way your life is. _

"She's still worried."

Mac lit up just a little. Jack noticed, but didn't comment. "You've talked to her?"

"She ain't gone far, kid. She's workin' off the rest of the favor she owes me. She'll be back."

Mac frowned again as the caravan of SUVs rounded a corner and the warehouse Matty and Riley had shown them on the sat feed. "She's doing okay though?"

"You don't have to worry about her, Mac. She's doin' fine." Jack put the car in park. "How about you, kid? How you doin'?"

"I'm fine."

"Liar." Jack smiled at him gently.

"Doesn't matter." Jack was pulling the car to a stop outside the warehouse. "I'm going to see this through. I promised."

Mac slid out of the car before Jack could say anything else. Jack swore softly under his breath and got out right behind his partner. "Mac, you by god better wait for your Overwatch."

He was almost impressed with how Mac actually let him take the lead as the moved through the building with Tactical. Desi hadn't lied when she said she'd made some progress with the kid actually letting security look out for him. Mac was even the one who'd hit the pause button on busting down the door so everyone could gear up and prepare to breach the terrorist's stronghold with teargas.

When they busted in to the chemically fogged room, the man gave him pause. He was even less like what Mac's mind kept conjuring than he'd expected. Charlie had been big. Solid. Larger than life, in some ways. Then the man opened his mouth. "MacGyver, you found me.

You're more clever than I thought."

Why did this asshole know him by sight. Mac pushed past jack and everyone else to drop Elliot Mason like the sack of shit he was.

"I guess Charlie was a good friend," the small withered older man panted.

Mac glared down at Mason. "Just get him out of here," Mac bit out coldly.

As Tactical wrestled Mason up off the floor and restrained him, Jack stepped back up to Mac. The kid's hand was bleeding and he was panting like he'd run up twenty flights of stairs. "Mac?"

Suddenly Mac couldn't breathe. He pulled off the gas mask, trying to catch his breath. He looked at Jack like he didn't even recognize him for a moment. Jack knew the look. Mac wasn't Mac for a second. He wasn't Agent MacGyver. He wasn't even Specialist MacGyver. He was still just PFC Angus MacGyver, not sure he should ever enlisted and watching his CO burn up in the aftermath of a bomb meant for him. Because losing Charlie, it brought all of that rushing back. And laying eyes on Mason was like facing the Ghost again.

Jack tried again, "Mac? Buddy?"

Mac started coughing with the remnants of the gas floating in the air.

Jack finally just grabbed his elbow. "C'mon, kid. Let's get you outside."

Mac didn't answer him, but didn't resist being led outside either. When they got out of the building, Mac's breathing finally eased in the fresh air. Jack stayed on his elbow until they were back over by the SUV they came in.

Mac eased into his seat. He made eye contact. "Thanks."

"For what?" Jack asked, just standing by Mac's door.

"Not trying to stop me," Mac said softly. "I … I needed that."

Jack reaches out and gave his shoulder a squeeze. "I know, kid."

Jack started around the vehicle to drive them back to Phoenix. Mac was about to pull his door shut when Oversight materialized beside the vehicle. "Angus?"

Mac paused, then pulled the door shut anyway. His father just stood outside the door. Mac sighed and rolled down the window as Jack climbed into the drivers' seat. "Yeah, dad?" He asked, sounding perfectly normal, but not quite meeting his eye. Jack wanted to look over. But Mac sounded like he was on the ragged edge of wanting to cry or just drag Mason out of the lead SUV and kill him with his bare hands. So Jack just made himself look busy.

"Are you alright, son?" he asked, sounding deeply concerned.

Mac thought of just not answering. Or lying. But he didn't want that relationship with his father anymore. And when this stuff with Mason was over they needed to talk honestly about why his father had sent Jack away. Better for him to tell the truth now. He cleared his throat. "Not really."

His eyes flicked to his father's then, and he knew Jim could see the pain he'd been trying so hard to keep a lid on.

"That's what I thought," his father answered. "Dalton, make sure he stops by Medical on his way upstairs. That hand needs attention and he probably inhaled more chlorobenzalmalononitrile than is good for anyone."

Jack expected Mac to protest. When he didn't, Jack just asked, "Is that fancy science talk for tear gas?"

Mac finally snorted a small laugh. He answered instead of letting his father do so. "Yeah. It is."

"You plan on doing what I just asked, Angus?" his father asked, cocking an eyebrow.

One corner of Mac's mouth lifted. "You didn't ask anything. You _told_ Jack to make me do a thing. Which you know isn't even an option. Jack can't make me do anything. He's never been able to."

Jim didn't respond to the small smile. "You know what I mean, Angus."

"I didn't mean I wasn't okay physically."

"Angus," his father warned, not acknowledging that Mac just admitted to being emotionally not okay. He wasn't good at emotional. The minor physical concerns were something he could do something about though. "Medical."

"Yeah, sure." Mac just shrugged. "Whatever."

"Good." Jim MacGyver nodded. Then he turned to leave. Mac's voice stopped him.

"But I'm going to be the one to interrogate Mason."

He turned. "Angus, I don't think that's …"

"I wasn't asking, Dad."

His father stared at him for a long moment. "I'll make sure everyone is clear on that."

"Thank you."

"Make sure you stop in downstairs first."

Mac nodded. "Yes, sir."

His father finally walked away.

Jack started pulling out of the parking spot. "You gonna do what he wants?" Jack asked.

Mac shrugged again, glancing down at his bloody knuckles. "It's perfectly reasonable."

Jack suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. "Since when are you reasonable?"

"That's a funny question coming from you. I'm always reasonable."

"Reasonable or not," Jack said. "I didn't figure you're in the mood to put up with the rigamarole down at Medical."

Another shrug. "As long as it doesn't hang up the timeframe for me questioning Mason. Which it won't."

"You sure about that, kid?" Jack really didn't want someone pissing Mac off at the moment. He figured with the way his partner had thrown caution to the wind and fed Mason a knuckle sandwich, and then ripped off his gas mask at least a little before it was smart to do so, Mac was probably going to be more prone to just popping off in general. If anyone was likely to cause it, at least two thirds of the staff at Medical were likely to cause it.

Mac managed a half smile. "All he said to me was stop downstairs. He didn't actually order me to do anything else."

Jack actually chuckled at that. "What about the orders he gave me?"

Mac snorted a brief laugh. "We've already established you can't make me do anything. Besides, all he really ordered you to do was make sure I stopped there too. Everything else he said was just an observation."

"And you're pissed at him anyway."

Then Mac sighed, and Jack wished he hadn't said it.

"Not really. I'm just … Curious."

"About why he sent me after Kovac?"

Mac turned to stare out the window. "About a lotta things."


	9. Chapter 9

Mac had done exactly what he'd told his father. To the letter. He'd stopped at Medical. Outside it, to be exact. Then he'd frowned and gotten out his phone and sent a quick text as he led the way upstairs.

"Whatcha doin'?" Jack asked.

"Calling in a favor," Mac replied.

Riley was waiting when they got off the elevator. She smirked. "Dan on duty?"

Mac rolled his eyes. "Is Mason in interrogation yet?"

"He is."

"He tryin' to lawyer up or anything?" Jack asked.

"Asked for a drink but that's all he's said."

Mac nodded and walked away. Jack started to follow. "Mac, hey, I'm goin' in there with ya, kid." Mac stopped but didn't turn around. "Sorry, pal. I need to do this alone." He paused. "He knew me by sight. I want to look him in the eyes and ask him why. No distractions."

"Alright. But I'll be right outside, Mac."

Mac nodded, sidestepped into one of the break rooms for a bottle of water. The classic peace offering. Interrogation 101. Jack was happy to see Mac was able to keep his feelings about this in a box and fall back in training. It would make this easier for him. In the moment anyway.

Mac let security pat him down and Jack and Riley positioned themselves outside the interrogation room to be available at a moment's notice.

"Who's Dan and why does he owe Mac a favor?" Jack asked.

Riley snickered. "He's the new guy down in Medical. Desi kind of pulled a Jack …"

"Dragged Mac in there entirely against his will?"

"Nope. Dislocated her shoulder doing something incredibly stupid." Jack chuckled. That sounded about right. "Dan was the unlucky bastard who got tapped to fix it. Dude's barely not an intern so I think everybody thought it'd be funny."

"Well, yeah. Desi's tough as nails but that hurts like hell. I imagine she was pretty scary."

"Riley snorted. "Yeah. She took a swing at him. Not like she meant it or anything. But Mac has plenty on Jack-based training and saw it coming. So he saw it coming. Saved Dan a couple loose teeth probably."

Jack shook his head. "So he saves Doogie Howser from picking up a couple Chiclets and now the little shit just gets to bypass Medical, huh?"

Riley set down her rig on a nearby table and pulled up the video feed of the interrogation room. "Not really. Their just kind of friends now, I guess. They're around the same age, smart dudes, trust each other's judgment. They've both had Desi threaten to beat them senseless…"

"Ha. Well, that's good I guess. Mac makin' friends down there, not gettin' on Desi's bad side, I mean."

"Bad side? Are you kidding? If she'd hung around here much longer … Nothing. Never mind." Riley frowned.

"What?"

"Boze thinks Mac has a thing for her."

"Does he?"

Riley shrugged, and turned up the volume on the feed. Hmmm. That was something for later consideration though. Mac was sitting down with Mason. Mac's posture was stiff, formal, but not unusually so. It was just … military.

"Heard you asked for some water." His voice was almost pleasant. Almost.

"Yeah, the tear gas did a number on me." Mason's eyes never strayed from Mac's face. There was an amused surprise there. A careful, pleased consideration.

"One corner of Mac's lips curled in something that could have properly been called a smile as he placed the water just out of Mason's reach.

Outside, Jack and Riley both frowned. That wasn't protocol. In the War Room Jim stepped closer to the display. That was asking for trouble. Matty sighed. That was so understandable, so human. She wondered if Mac realized just how vulnerable he was sometimes.

Mason's eyes took on a speculative sheen and he chuckled. "Now, that's just flat cruel."

Mac gave the barest of shrugs. Then his eyes narrowed just a little bit. Everyone was always telling him he was such a damned boyscout. Including this asshole. In fact, he was a little sick of being referred to as a boy by these people at all. He was nearly thirty years old. And one of the most accomplished, sought-after intelligence on the planet. Time for this dismissive bastard to stop looking at him like he was some interesting child. He picked up the water bottle, opened it, and finished half of it in several long pulls. He felt a certain amount of satisfaction at the slight surprise that flared Mason's eyes.

Then Mac was gripped by the thirst that always got hold of him in Afghanistan. It never seemed to go away there. When he had nightmares (or flashbacks) of the war, he often woke with it; an unslakable, miserable thirst. He drained the rest of the bottle and put the empty container down on the table.

Now he felt like he might throw up.

He swallowed. Then he took a careful breath.

You can fall apart later, Mac. Put all of this in a box. Physical and mental. Feelings are for later. Focus.

He sighed. "I've got a lot of questions for you, Mason, but first I need to know if you've planted any other devices around L.A."

"No. And I believe I know what your next question is."

Mac's jaw clenched. There was something about this guy, over and above that he was responsible for Charlie's death that just made him want to scream. He bit out, "Well, then answer it."

"You want to know why…"

"As Mac listened to Mason drone on, he realized what was bothering him so much. It was the quality of a lecture, the need to explain, to sound superior. It sounded exactly like his father. It had always bothered him. Ever since he was a little kid. Over the last year, he'd been telling himself it was just his father's desire to help, to teach, to leave a legacy. Since Jim's cancer diagnosis that had been easier to do. But really, it came down to the need to impose a narrative. And Mac didn't like it. No more now than when he was six and he'd been fed tales of everything happening for a reason about his mother. He sure as hell didn't like it coming out of this son of a bitch. He refocused on Mason.

"Being the distraction got the boy killed. And that boy, that Marine, that life sacrificed was my son."

Mac nodded in acknowledgment of the man's loss, but also shrugged. "That's tragic, but what does it have to do with me?"

"Let me clarify."

There it was again. That goddamned superior tone. Mac's jaw clenched and unclenched. This time his teeth made and audible clicking sound he was sure mason heard in the quiet room.

"My son dies for another person, that's a sacrifice. Your friend Charlie dies for those people in that hotel, that's a let me ask you something, MacGyver. Now that Charlie's dead, do you feel proud of his sacrifice? Or do you just feel sad and empty and impotent anger rage at the senseless death of your friend?"

Mac just stared back, willing his face to be impassive, but knowing his paying flashed in his eyes. Those damned expressive eyes always gave him away. They always had.

"Hmm?"

Mac blinked and pressed his lips together. If he spoke, it wouldn't help this interrogation. It was already going off the rails anyway. He should have just let Matty come in here.

"And it's the right feeling, MacGyver. Because a folded flag on a coffin will never, ever make up for the loss of someone you love."

Mason's cold blue eyes bored into Mac's warm ones. Mac's were in danger of filling and he was utterly furious with himself for letting that feeling slip out of its carefully constructed box. He swallowed several times. He saw something akin to admiration in Mason's face then as he mastered himself. Still, he needed to keep his words to a minimum.

"Still doesn't explain why." It was a simple statement, and a bold accusation all at once, and Mac felt a little defeated when it became clear it was exactly what Mason had wanted him to say all along.

"The man who designed and ran that extraction op was your father."

Mac didn't hear much after that. He knew Mason threatened him, threatened Phoenix, threatened his father. He'd been threatened before. Hell, he'd had friends, family, Phoenix, ripped out from under him. Right now was bigger than that. Mason had started something in Mac's head. And he was trying to listen to that.

But mostly his ears were ringing. It was the same high pitched whine that could last for days after an explosion. His brain was tripping along at supersonic speed, coming to conclusions he'd have to catch up with later. Those warm eyes of his that had been so close to spilling a few moments ago turned to ice.

His voice was just as cold.

"Everything that you have done today has only dishonored your son's memory and what he fought for." Mason flinched, just a little, but one corner of his lips curled in a vicious little smirk. "And the only thing that you actually accomplished was murdering a good man." His voice caught almost imperceptibly, but he knew Jack and Riley would have caught it on the camera feed. He glanced up at it for a split second, glad to have them both their. His jaw formed and his voice gained warmth and conviction.

"Charlie Robinson did not deserve to die. And, for that, you will spend the rest of your life behind bars."

Outside the interrogation room Jack nodded. "That's goddamned right. Tell 'im, son."

Riley half smiled. When Jack said son it was just casual and affectionate. It was the same way he said bud or kid. It was the same way he called her honey actually. It said family for sure. And there was pride there. But there was no obligation. She liked it. It was so good to have him back. Mac was going to really need them later. She was sure of it.

She saw the flicker of compassion in Mac's face when Mason's face dropped into his hands.

Mac leaned forward, ready to offer a sliver of leniency if Mason would begin to give up any details of his operation while he was in a moment of weakness, and things started happening very fast.

Suddenly there was a cloud of gas in his face, his throat was burning and the world went black.

Back outside of Interrogation things were thrown into chaos.

"What the Hell is happening in there?" Jack all but shouted as the view inside the room was obscured.

"I don't know!" Riley said just as desperately, fingers flying over the keys.

An alarm started blaring so they must have seen something from the War Room that they missed here.

"It's not the camera!" Riley said pulling out her key card, barely aware of the flurry of activity around them.

Jack already had his out. "I'm going in."

"Mac!"

Jack heard Riley say something about Mason, heard other people start shouting. All Jack processed was Mac crumpled on the floor, unconscious. Mac was pale. So pale.?

Jack dropped down next to him and put fingers to his throat. Mac's skin was cool and clammy. He pressed to get a pulse.

He didn't feel anything.

He glanced at the chaos behind him and bellowed, "Get me a medical team now!"


	10. Chapter 10

Jack had Mac's heart talking again by the time the medical team arrived. Jack was talking, too. To God, himself, and the unconscious Mac. Mostly Mac.

"Mac c'mon buddy. You can't be this mad at me for not takin' you with me, huh? I'll make it up to you. Okay, kid? We'll getcha outta here and I'll tell ya the whole story and then we can spend the weekend watching' whatever you want. How 'bout one of those documentaries you like, huh, kid?"

He was still mumbling various admonitions and questions when a hand firmly pulled him up by the arm. A set of Phoenix's ubiquitous blue scrubs appeared next to him. "Agent Dalton, give us some room," one of the techs said.

Jack hurried to get out of their way, relieved. He filled them in almost reflexively. "He's got a pulse, but his breathin's real funny and he's not responsive."

The medical team nodded as one and went to work. One of them was using a definitely MacGyverish looking set of vials and liquids at the table as security and tactical buzzed around looking for Mason, and the rest of the scrubs squad talked in their impenetrable shorthand that Jack only half understood. He took a step back and tapped his comm.

"Matty, talk to me."

The first thing she did was inform him that Bozer had taken off to bundle the boss off to the Phoenix safe room in the lower levels of the building. Jack's first thought was that was probably good because Jack wanted to punch somebody and Jim Macgyver was a likely target. Then he glanced down at Mac's pale slack face. Nah, he didn't want punch Jim right now. Now it was this guy. This Mason. He said so, leaving off that he really wanted to deck the boss, too,

"No sign of Mason, Jack. Oversight is being secured as we speak. How's Mac?" Her voice held some of the motherly concern Jack had grown accustomed to over the last year or so as it related to Mac.

His eyes hadn't strayed from his partner the whole time, but he really took in the whole picture of what was going on with his partner, whose sleeve was yanked up as far as they could get it. He winced and looked away.

"Being poked full of holes at the moment."

Matty's more directorial tone took over as she pulled in the medical team on comms. "Gimme an update, Doc, I need my agent operational."

"It looks like we're dealing with something you may be familiar with. BZ. It's…"

Matty interrupted. "Chemical warfare!"

The doctor quickly regained control of the conversation. "Yes, ma'am, of fairly long acting duration. It's an incapacitating agent, that can cause hallucinations, agitation, precipitous increase in body temperature, dehydration, vision loss…"

"I don't need the symptom rundown," Matty once again steamrolled over him. "Dr. Simmonds, I need Mac on his feet in the War Room ASAP. I've lost Oversight as an asset since he's the target. Mac's the best chance Phoenix has to bring down someone with brains like this Mason who's currently loose in my building."

Jack had dropped back down on the floor and was already glaring at this Doc Simmonds, shaking his head. "Well, now Matty, maybe you need to figure something else out now, because that all sounds pretty damned serious to me! Like maybe you can just go get Sir Oversight out of his fancy bunker and let him figure this out because our boy here looks like he ought to be on his way to the hospital or at the very least to Medical because…"

"Zip it, Dalton," Matty snapped. "You know I care about Mac, too. This is bigger than any of us. So don't you go all Papa Bear on me right now. If you could keep a lid on it to leave for months on end, you can keep a lid on it now!"

_So she didn't know either. Huh._

He just nodded at the doctor instead of responding to Matty. He wanted to hear what the doc had to say.

"I've started some basic treatment just in case he regained consciousness while we were moving him … which I was hoping he wouldn't before we could start the full protocol. I _could_ get him up and moving again with adrenaline, but the window he's likely to be functional given his exposure isn't going to be great."

"Do it," Matty ordered. "A little MacGyver is better than no MacGyver."

"And then what?" Jack snapped, his hand protectively grasping Mac's shoulder.

The doctor met Jack's slightly panicked eyes. "BZ isn't fatal, Agent Dalton. We'll be able to get him treated and back home before he's even too annoyed about it."

Jack guessed Simmons's must be Mac's new friend Dan from the tone of voice he used. That made Jack feel a little better. Jack nodded again, but he vowed that Matty and James MacGyver would both be called to account for what went down today. For Mac having to get up from this and once again carry the whole organization when what he should be doing was getting taken care of after once again somebody else screwed up.

Jack was so busy running down the list of punishments he wanted to rain down on the senior MacGyver's head that he didn't process what was going until right before the needle pierced Mac's chest. Jack flinched and turned away for a split second, only to be pulled right back in by Mac's gasp of pain and surprise.

The doctor got up out of the way, giving Jack a nod that said 'keep an eye on him'.

Mac pressed his hand to his chest. _Jesus, that hurts. "_What happened?" he rasped.

Jack put a steadying hand on Mac's back and helped him sit the rest of the way up. "Mason watched one too many bad spy movies and had something hidden in a false tooth to knock you out. Your buddy said it's called BZ."

Mac started to get up, but couldn't quite make it yet. And his heart was racing. Painfully. He massaged his chest and kept talking to give himself a minute.

"Yeah. Short for 3-Quinuclidinyl benzilate. It's an odorless, nonlethal incapacitating agent that attacks the acetylcholine receptors."

"Nonlethal is good, but … you needed a little jumpstart for a sec." Mac just shrugged. It wasn't a surprise. He'd gotten a real face full of that crap. He wondered at how hard Jack was trying to not freak out on him. It was almost likehe didn't feel he had a right to, then "Doc said you're not gonna be able to keep going for long."

"That sounds about right. BZ is nasty stuff," Mac said, and tilted his chin, indicating he was ready to get up but he knew enough to know he was going to need a hand. "Where's Mason?"

Mac winced as Jack helped him to his feet but was pleased that he managed to keep his discomfort quiet.

"No idea. We're on lockdown protocols. He took out a guard, stole his key card. So we're in containment mode at the moment."

Mac leaned on Jack for a minute. "We can't be sure he's trying to escape. In fact with everything he said… it seems unlikely. He could be going after my father."

"Matty had Boze take him to the safe room."

Mac frowned. "Oh." Then he nodded. "Good."

"She had your buddy Pulp Fiction you, cuz she needs your ginormous brains in the War Room since she don't have Daddy Mac to call the shots. I hear he argued pretty good too, but you know how Matty is. And she'd rather have you anyway, kid."

Mac smiled a little at that. "Okay. Let's go."

Mac did alright the first few flights of stairs but his breathing was rapid and painful. His chest hurt. And if Jack asked him one more time if he was okay, he was going to hit him.

_That's probably not fair. That's just the BZ talking. It causes agitation and you know it, Mac. _

But what he also knew was that he'd gotten used to nobody asking, gotten used to fending for himself. He'd gotten used to the idea that Jack figured he could.

_No, I got used to the idea that he didn't care whether or not I could,_ Mac thought bitterly. His father went back and forth from not giving a damn to weirdly protective, now Jack was doing the same damned thing. Mac couldn't sort it out. Especially not now.

"I'm fine, Jack, let it go!" Mac snapped, as Bozer rejoined them outside the War Room.

Bozer raised an eyebrow at Jack as Mac preceded them into the War Room. "How's he doin'?"

"Doc says he's okay for now …" Jack started to elaborate, almost wanted to ask Bozer if Mac had opened up to him at all about whether he was pissed at Jack. Because frankly Jack had never let being in the middle of a chaotic mission stop him from having a family first type conversation before, but they were all swept up in what Mason was doing to Phoenix pretty quickly.

Despite the fact that he was obviously hurting, and the flushing in his face said the BZ was already starting to overcome the little bit of medication and adrenaline he'd been given, Mac started taking charge.

"Matty, you have to evacuate the Phoenix now.

Mason tricked us into locking ourselves in here, and now the environmental control system…" he broke off, coughing painfully. He forced himself to finish. "...is gonna work against us by spreading the toxic smoke."

Matty agreed through coughing of her own. "Bad news, Mac. It's already happening."

Mac nodded, covering his face with his arm, trying to get a breath, and coughing more anyway, shaking off both Jack and Bozer as they both tried to check in on him. "Riley, head upstairs. I'm going after Mason."

He shook them off again and headed downstairs, not waiting to see if anyone followed him.


	11. Chapter 11

Once the evacuation was under way and Bozer and Riley had taken off to go try to spring Oversight, Mac's only focus was on pursuing Mason. Jack stayed close, weapon drawn. Mason had already hurt Mac enough today.

The smoke in the server room was thick and caustic. Every time Mac coughed his chest hurt more and his head felt hotter. His thoughts were racing. Some of it was reminders of Pena, of the Ghost. Some was even juggling doubts and questions about his father, about his father's motivations, about things Mason had said. About what the Hell any of it had to do with him or Charlie. And of course about the very real dangers right in front of him. Some of it was centered around the sudden hole in his life where Charlie had been. And a lot of it, if he was honest with himself, was around the very real hole that had been in his life the last couple of months.

That was not a thought he could entertain right now without getting all kinds of pissed off, which he was more than happy to blame on agitation from the BZ exposure. He and Jack had started working through that stuff. There was no reason for him to feel like this now. But here it was. Shouting over the noise of the fire, he called out to one current source of his distress.

"Jack! Do you see anything!"

"Nothin!"

Mac thought he saw a flash of movement and darted behind a bank of servers. The attempt set him coughing again and this time it kept up until it doubled him over. His head felt like it might pop. And he knew it was hot enough down here that he should be sweating, but he wasn't. The BZ was definitely taking its toll.

Jack was by his side, stifling coughs of his own. "Mac, he's not here! Let's get the hell outta here, kid, and get you some help, huh? You don't look so…"

"He's got to be here somewhere!" Mac wrenched his arm free from the light hold Jack had on it.

"He mighta bailed already, kid, we don't know…"

"Yeah, we do," Mac paused long enough to bark another cough and try to shoulder past his partner, who sidestepped to get back in his way. Mac's eyes flashed. "Move!"

'Red as a beet' was one of the symptoms on the BZ chemical warfare exposure list that Jack had remembered now that he had some time to dredge up some long ago training and Mac's cheeks were flushed like an apple at least. "Mac, buddy, you…"

"I promised Charlie I'd get this guy," he snapped, suddenly sounding and feeling more furious than he felt like he had any right to be. He should just be happy Jack was back, happy Desi had been able to be here in his place while he was gone but … That's not what he felt right now. "I keep _my_ promises."

He might have said something more, but this time he did catch a flash of movement across the room. He shoved past Jack and took off running, his racing thoughts stilled in a single minded purpose.

Catch Mason.

He took off into a swirl of black smoke.

He'd shoved Jack so hard, the older man nearly fell over a bank of servers. "_Goddamnit, kid,_" he swore, more or less to himself.

"Mac!" he called over the comms.

No answer.

He heard Matty do the same thing. With the same result.

Jack took off through the smoke, hoping he picked the right set of doors.

Mac raced around corners.

He couldn't quite catch his breath.

He skidded into several door frames.

Mason was always just out of his reach.

Just enough ahead that he couldn't catch up.

_That's how this whole thing has gone. That's why Charlie is dead, Angus,_ Mason's voice taunted mercilessly from inside his own head. But it had an echoing surreal quality and Mac's vision swam for a second. _C'mon Mac, just catch up with this son of a bitch, then you can be a person again, okay? _

At the moment, having a body, and moreover, a body that had been exposed to a chemical agent that wanted to put him out of commission was both inconvenient and infuriating.

_There he is! _

Mason was running up the stairs. Matty was calling to him. So was Jack. Mac knew he should answer both of them. Actually he kind of needed the back up. But all he could think about was putting his hands on Mason. And right now it wasn't about putting him in prison. It wasn't even about making him answer more questions about what he'd done. Right now, quite suddenly, Mac just wanted to beat the living hell out of the guy.

He stumbled.

Mason got a little further ahead.

Mac was half this bastard's age. Some of the anger he was feeling started to be directed at himself. He redoubled his efforts when he realized the sound he could hear over the blood rushing in his ears and their feet pounding on the stairs was the _thump thump thump _of helicopter blades. Mason had allies, had an escape planned all along.

Mac burst onto the roof and was nearly blinded by the late day sun. His vision blurred again. He heard Jack shout his name, but it sounded very far away.

Charlie's voice came from somewhere. _Promise me, Mac. _

His vision tunneled down and he felt almost sure he was going to pass out.

_No, Goddamnit! You finish this!_ Well, his body might want to give up right now but at least his brain still had its shit together. He shook his head to clear it. And finally caught sight of Mason again.

He sprinted across the roof in a mad dash for the old man and his helicopter.

And missed by inches.

He tried jumping for the skid and his fingers almost grasped it. In his current state, he didn't know how he'd have hung on, but he'd have found a way, just like he always did.

He wished he thought the mocking smile he could just make out was all in his head, but he knew it wasn't. Neither was the voice that drifted down, just audible over the thumping of the helicopter blades.

"Don't worry, Angus. This is far from done."

Almost reflexively, Mac jumped one more time even though there was absolutely no way he could possibly reach that bird or its occupant.

When he came down this time, his legs went out from under him.

He was beaten.

Just like Mason said he wanted him.

His heart was hammering in his chest. He was breathing too fast.

And it hurt.

Kind of everything hurt at the moment actually. And he could hear a voice in his ear. Could hear one right next to him. But he couldn't quite make himself focus.

Mac couldn't decide if it was the effects of the BZ and the fact that the adrenaline must be wearing off, or his crushing sense of failure, of loss, his last real connection to his old life, to his life before Phoenix, before all this complication … His breath hitched.

A small rational part of him asserted that it was probably both.

A slightly larger, and definitely more stubborn part, told him he needed to get up and get off the roof.

The part of Mac that had been in charge largely since he was ten listened and started to get up.

"Whoa there, cowboy," came the familiar drawl. "Help is on the way, a'ight?"

"I'm f…"

"How dumb do I look to you, Mac? No, ya know what, don't answer that question," Jack said all at once, purposely trying to get a laugh. "Your ticker is beatin' way too fast. So stay put."

Mac made a reflexive sour face but sank down more completely on the ground. "Okay," he sighed.

Jack was right. He was still trying to keep going on pure adrenaline. And not the kind he'd been … what had Jack said … Pulp Fiction'd with. Well, that and guilt.

Jack hesitated, then sat down next to his partner to wait for Matty's rescue team to come get them.

He and Matty had agreed that Mac probably shouldn't walk another step without medical supervision until he'd been treated for the BZ exposure correctly. Well, not so much agreed as Jack had yelled at her on his way up here and she'd said, "Alright already, Dalton. Good to know Overwatch is really back on duty. Sheesh."

"It okay if I wait with you, bud?"

Mac rubbed his forehead, frowning blearily at Jack. "Since when do you … Sure."

"I know you're pretty pissed at me, kid. And honestly, whether it's cuz of the crap you got blown in your face or not, you've got every right."

"No, I'm not … Okay, I kind of am … but … it's not fair to … I don't feel great… I can't think right now, Jack. Okay?"

Jack cracked a small smile. That was a big admission from Mac.

"Okay. I promise I'll tell you the whole shit show when you feel better. But I want to say one thing right now. No justifications, no bullshit, kid."

There was an earnestness in Jack's voice that made Mac focus on his face even though that was getting harder to do. He felt like deep fried crap. "Yeah?"

"I was wrong. Wrong to not tell you. Wrong to go. Wrong to stay gone. I'm not gonna make excuses."

Mac had pulled his knees up from muscle cramps a minute ago. closed his eyes. They were burning for a whole damned lot of reasons. "I … okay."

"I just … you're probably in for a helluva bad night and I wanted you to hear that, to know it, beforehand. Because I'll stay just like I always have, but only if you want me to. And I figure you wouldn't want me there unless I'd really said I'm sorry. If you didn't know I really meant it. That I wasn't gonna try to make some excuse. You've heard a lot of excuses from people, I guess. And I won't do that. I was wrong and I'm sorry."

Mac opened his eyes long enough to glance at Jack, to assure himself of his partner's sincerity. He'd spent so much time lately questioning his father's meaning and intentions, he was shocked at the level of relief he felt from the frank openness he was met with in Jack's expression.

He heard other voices approaching them and his immediate impulse was to tell Jack it was okay, that he wasn't really mad, that it was just that gas exposure, to try to make him feel better, to let him off the hook. What he did instead took more effort, but felt more meaningful. "Thank you, Jack."

He squinted up at several members of tactical and the medical team Matty had sent. "Hey, Dan," he greeted. He also recognized the nurse his friend had brought along. He smirked at his partner. "You were right. This is definitely gonna suck; your company will be appreciated."


	12. Chapter 12

Jack knew Mac was pretty miserable because he didn't argue about the stretcher to get over to Building Two, and he didn't complain about the ubiquitous gown. Jack parked himself in a chair off to the side of Mac's hospital bed, close, but out of the way.

Mac was quiet, not even engaged with his usual slightly argumentative banter with the staff, even Sully, who'd apparently drawn the short straw this afternoon. He did grumble a little when she wasn't successful starting an IV in the back of his hand, but he did so quietly.

She glanced up at him with real sympathy, bandaging the damage. "Sorry, Mac. I'd like to blame your tremors from the gas, but I think I'm pretty shaky from the evacuation, myself. I'm gonna blame me and ask for patience."

Mac shrugged, offering up the other side of his arm. "Not a great day for anybody."

He sighed listlessly and then his breath hissed sharply through his teeth.

"Sorry, this sucks," she said again, shaking her head and looking genuinely upset with herself.

"Jeez," Jack put in. "Practice on somebody with better veins there, Sully."

She glanced up. "I haven't even poked him again, Jack. That was just the alcohol swab. His skin is hypersensitive from the BZ." She looked back at Mac. "Lemme go grab some numbing spray or something. I don't want to hurt you, okay?"

Mac actually smiled a little. Dan had already given him a pretty big handful of pills, a couple of sedatives among them. He wasn't especially susceptible to that stuff, but he felt better than he had on that roof..

And he appreciated what amounted to slightly elevated status around here since Dan had joined his circle of friends. Especially with the nurses, many of who used to treat him like the enemy. Sully being the biggest offender. Although he supposed that might be something of a two way street, if he was honest.

"You don't have to do that. It's really not a big deal."

"I don't mind. I feel like you've been through enough today."

A momentary flash of real pain in Mac's eyes, this time of the emotional variety, caused Jack to shift a little closer. Then he just had to say something. "Since when did you two sign a peace treaty? It's weird."

Mac cast a conspiratorial glance at his nurse. "We should have planned this better. We could have screwed with him."

She raised an eyebrow at both of them. "I'm sure the opportunity will present itself before too long. I'll be right back."

"You really don't have…"

"There's the agent I know. I was really worried when you didn't argue with me at all. I'd almost thought that was a new leaf I saw turning over," she teased mildly. "I'm not inclined to let you win this one, MacGyver."

Mac shrugged. He thought it was kind of a waste of time, but it's not like he was dumb enough to argue for hurting more around here.

Dan came back in the room then. "Haven't you figured out it's better not to argue Melody?"

"You can just agree with her if you want to. I get not wanting to sleep on that couch of yours. Me? I like arguing. Mostly because I'm usually right."

"Oh, you wish," she tossed over her shoulder on her way out the door.

Jack raised his eyebrows at the young doctor who'd just sat on the stool marked Staff Only that Jack had nearly claimed for his own upon coming in here. "You have no idea how weird it is to see them half friendly," Jack declared.

"It's not my first day, so I kinda do," he replied as he picked up Mac's wrist to take his pulse, as though the heart monitor above him didn't exist. "But we all hang out. You've maybe gathered, Mel's my girlfriend … Beer and my excellent barbecue are great arbiters of peace even when the parties involved are both hard headed pains in my ass when we're anywhere near this department." He grinned at Mac, dropping his hand. "Besides they teamed up to save me from needing reconstructive facial surgery when I ran afoul of Agent Nguyen. I'd hazard to call them friends these days, well, that is if Mel doesn't blow this stick."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Doctor," she said archly as she returned, booting him off the stool.

"Does it help that I believe in you?" Mac asked lightly, giving her his arm again. His expression was almost neutral.

That's when Jack realized what was really bugging him.

It wasn't that Mac was reasonably cool with being here. Mac was better at it than he was pretty much always. It wasn't even that he was friendly with the staff. Unless he thought they really were being ridiculous, Mac was always reasonably agreeable. He could be downright pleasant, even to Sully if he thought it would get him cut loose faster. And Mac was the last guy who'd screw around with chemical weapons exposure anyway. He knew too much about how that stuff worked.

Mac was working too hard to be okay. That flash of pain when Sully said he had already been through enough? That was closer to what was really going on with him than the rest of this.

"It does actually. Especially since you're not demanding I go get the infrared gadget you souped up for us for finding veins."

Jack studied Mac's profile while the nurse worked. Mac was studiously looking at the computer Dan was studying across the room. Mac wasn't especially bothered by needles, but as he was more than happy to admit when asked, he wasn't a fan either.

"_You _don't need it. Can't say that for most of the rest of your staff."

"I'm flattered."

Mac grimaced. "Ow. Damn. I stand corrected. Blowing it twice in one day? I'm starting to think it's better if we're arguing."

"I didn't blow it this time. You're nerves are all just angry at you." He grimaced again as she placed a piece of tape. "Hurts, huh?" she asked sympathetically as she worked.

"It's not great," he admitted.

"Even with the spray, huh, kid?" Jack asked.

"Yeah. I feel sort of sunburned all over." Sully and Jack exchanged a look of concern. Mac was being awfully forthcoming. Then they suspected some of the cooperation was a tactic when he asked casually, "So what's with all the blood samples? I thought you were just starting an IV."

The kid had finally learned cooperative Mac got more information than argumentative Mac. Jack shook his head affectionately. He'd been trying to subtly nudge Mac in that direction for years. He bet Desi just flatly said it to the kid. And Mac had probably given her that raised eyebrow almost pissed off look of his. But he'd mulled it over, kicked it around a little. Then he'd tested it out. Once he realized it was true, he'd simply adopted it into his framework. It was one of the many remarkable things that made Mac Mac.

Instead of answering right away, she finished quickly and started the IV as she'd originally intended. She gathered up the blood samples. "I need to go run these. I'll be back in a bit."

Dan stepped away from his computer and reclaimed the bedside stool. "Before you decide we're both off the weekend get together list, the blood samples are for a complete blood count, electrolytes, clotting studies, and renal and liver function tests … just the stuff that's reasonable in any person who potentially was exposed to a chemical warfare agent."

Mac frowned. The meds he already had on board had short circuited some of the anger that had boiled over with the adrenaline before, but he still felt an undercurrent of unease, that he was starting to have to admit might not be entirely chemical. The staff at Medical was an easy focus for it at the moment. "We know what I was exposed to. Why would you waste time running a what if protocol?"

"So I can compare the numbers to another draw in a few hours to see how this treatment is working," he said pleasantly, taking out a syringe and screwing it into to access on the IV tubing.

"Which is?" Mac asked, sounding, not quite sharp, but also sounding more than just curious or interested.

"An experimental alternative to physostigmine that we've been working on that's been showing some promise with less adverse effects, and some more diazepam because I don't like your vitals. I know you've heard it before since it's all over your chart, but you are not an easy guy to sedate even if you want to be."

The remark had the desired effect effect because Mac smiled just a little. "I mean, sure, with that garbage. But you have solid evidence that I'm just as susceptible to good beer as the next guy."

"R and D has had great results with this antidote, Mac. You'll be having a beer on your back porch by tomorrow night. Alright?"

Mac sighed, but nodded. Tomorrow was actually optimistic and if it was true it was lucky based on what he knew about what he'd been exposed to. "Sounds great actually. Speaking of home …"

"What do you need?"

"Just wondering if my stuff is a lost cause or if I'm getting it back."

Jack spoke up. "Why wouldn't you get your stuff back?"

Mac frowned at him. "Um … BZ aerosol can leave a residue on things …"

"One of the techs took all your clothes to be decontaminated when you got changed. Just as a precaution," Dan said. "You'll be able to wear it home."

Mac nodded, seeming to remember after a minute he should be happy about that, and he managed a smile. "Great. Thanks. I love that jacket."

"We know."

"We who?"

"Pretty much everybody who works here," Dan laughed. "Damned thing's older than you, so you must love it."

Mac blinked a couple of times like he might be sleepy. "How much did you give me? I feel like I've been doing tequila shots, man."

Dan got up from the stool and typed a few things into the monitor. "Hopefully enough. I'm transporting a couple of cases. Mel will be here for a bit. Doc Anderson's the overnight. You're in good hands. You feeling okay for now?"

"Mmmm," he mumbled, shifting down further on the pillow.

Sully and another nurse came in carrying large blue squares of some sort.

"Whatcha got there, guys?" Jack asked.

"Cooling packs. His core temperature is a little too high. In addition to not being great for him, it's probably pretty uncomfortable. Nurse Sullivan says he won't complain about it though," the other nurse answered. "Agent MacGyver, I'm Tess. I'm going to be here overnight if you need anything. Boss wanted me to come meet you while she was still here."

"Thanks, Tess," Mac answered, not opening his eyes.

The two nurses adjusted his bed, arranged the gel packs, guided by sleepy mumbles from their patient, and left with the doctor. He stopped at the door.

"Don't hesitate to hit that call button for him, Dalton. I haven't known Mac all that long, but I've already pegged him as a guy who wouldn't ask for a bucket of water if he was on fire."

"You're a sharp guy, doc. Glad he made a friend of you. I'll look out for him."

The doctor indicated the light switch and Jack just gave him a nod. He dimmed the lights on his way out and closed the door part of the way to keep the noise from the hallway out.

Jack sat there in the dark for probably ten minutes. He even put his feet up on the bed and exchanged a few texts with Matty, Boze, and Riley. He left a text from Oversight unread, but he figured Matty could fill him in on how Mac was doing.

It was much too early for him to think about sleep, but he had a feeling it was going to be a long night. Jack shook his head.

"So, how long are you planin' on pretending to be asleep?"

A sigh. "I'm mostly asleep. That's not pretending."

"How ya doin'?"

"I'm okay." He clearly didn't like the sound of that because he shifted onto his side to face his partner and opened his eyes for a moment. "Other than kinda doped up, and even with the cool packs still too warm, I'm fine."

Doped up? Mac didn't even look sleepy. He'd played at dozy to get the scrubs squad out of his room. Playing nice must've been wearing him out, Jack thought. "Let's try this again. How ya doin', really?"

Another sigh.

"How do you think, Jack?"

Jack didn't answer right away. He took his feet off the bed and dragged his chair closer. He leaned forward in an attempt to really see Mac's face in the dim room, but Mac shifted, turning into his pillow a little.

Mac had never been a heart on his sleeve guy. But right now Jack felt like they lost all the closeness and trust they'd spent the last seven or so years building up. And the fact that it was more or less his fault weighed on him heavily.

He leaned back again to give Mac some space. Then he scooted his chair back a couple inches. That's how it had been early on, even after they were friends. Jack has to be careful. Two steps forward, and about one and a half back. If he had to start there again, so be it.

"Well, now, lemme see if I can read the supragenius mega brain of one Angus MacGyver. That's a tall order for a guy with a brain like mine, kid."

Mac was quiet. His eyes stayed shut. Jack consoled himself with the fact that at least Mac wasn't pretending to be okay anymore like he had with the medical staff. And he'd admitted to being awake. Trust was not completely broken between them.

"We'll start with the easy ones." He waited, but there was no change from Mac. "You feel like crap, and you'd rather be home, but between that crazy James Bond gas stuff and getting stabbed in the chest … which I may never get over seen' while we're on the subject … you know you're where you oughta be, so you're not bitchin' about it, 'cept maybe in your head … How'm I doin' so far, kid?"

Mac opened his eyes and offered a half smile. "I forgot about the chest stabbing. Thanks for reminding me."

Jack smiled back. Sarcasm was good, was Mac. "And I know you're hurtin' about Charlie. I can't even imagine. Because you guys both served with your old CO, both faced the Ghost together, it's gotta be a mess in that ginormous melon of yours right now. I'm sorry, Mac. I really am. Just so sorry for your loss and everything that's gotta be dragging up for you."

Mac closed his eyes again, this time tightly. He took a long slow breath. "Yeah."

That was all he could manage. His eyes were burning and if he was alone he'd give into it, even here in Medical. But he didn't want to do that right now. Actually he kind of did want to be alone and get some of that out of his system while he was here. God knew the minute he stepped foot out of Medical Matty, the rest of the team, Hell the rest of Phoenix, not to mention Oversight, we're going to expect him to just have his shit together and start working the Mason case.

"It's a lot Jack. I appreciate you doing your thing and hanging with me until we knew Dr. Foster wasn't on duty, because I honestly would have let you break his nose today, but…"

"I'm not leaving you like this right now, kid. Forget about it."

There was a hard stubborn edge to Jack's voice that made Mac open his eyes again. He could feel his own stubborn rearing its head in response. "Why the hell not? I'm going to get some sleep that frankly I'm not going to have any choice about because I can hardly keep my eyes open and if I could do that while you were off in wherever the hell for months, I can sure as hell do it tonight."

And there it was. Jack actually smiled and slid his chair back over close, leaning his elbows on the bed. "Which brings me to my next point. You're finally dealing with the fact that you're pissed about me leaving."

Mac huffed in frustration and flipped over onto his back to avoid looking at Jack directly. "I'm not! I'd never be mad about you doing a job that needed doing and you know it!"

He absently massaged his chest. Now that Jack had reminded him about it, the ache he'd been able to ignore was back. The monitor he was still looked up to beeped an alarm and he puffed out a long sigh and took several slow, measured breaths and watched the numbers drop before the nurse made her way through the door.

"Everything alright in here?" she asked, looking him over first, before checking the monitor.

"It's fine, Tess, thank you," Mac said smoothly. "My chest is a little sore and I must have been rubbing at it in my sleep. It made the monitor go nuts. Sorry about that."

"Not at all, Agent MacGyver. I'm so sorry it woke you. And you do look wide awake. Dr. Simmonds left orders for something if you had any trouble. I'll be right back."

"You don't have to…" She was already gone. Mac gave Jack a lopsided grin. "See? I'm gonna sleep whether I want it or not. You should at least go crash in the on-call room or something."

"Not so fast there, Angus. Couple things."

"Yeah?"

"First of all, how'd you do that little magic trick with your numbers?"

"Next time you pick on me for meditating or doing yoga with Boze, you remember that little magic trick."

"Huh. No shit." Jack paused. He hated to press, but Mac was a master subject changer. "And second, if you're not pissed I left, what's still eatin' ya, kid?"

Mac sighed and was about to answer when Tess came back. She chatted away while she fiddled with the IV and changed out gel packs that were already warm even though he'd had them for less than an hour. She also assuaged Mac's concern that Jack would put a permanent crick in his aging neck by assuring him that Agent Dalton was more than welcome to use the other bed in the room. Director Webber had asked them to keep his room private unless it was an emergency. She then made sure it was made up if Jack decided he wanted it.

By the time she left, whatever additional medication she'd given him was dragging his eyelids down. He'd mostly forgotten that he and Jack had started having a semi serious conversation.

In fact, he was presently too medicated to think about, or feel, much of anything. At the moment he appreciated the respite from his tumultuous emotions and somewhat battered body. He rolled on his side again, wrapping his arms around one of the cold packs and pulling it against where his chest hurt.

"What're you smiling about?" Jack asked.

"Couple weeks ago Dan and Melody came over with everybody and Mel was giving me all kids of shit because one of her newbies saw me when I went to Medical looking for my father one day."

"And?"

Mac's sleepy grin broadened. "She said the newbie, who she wouldn't name probably had a voodoo doll of me in her desk trying to black magic me into Medical because she thinks I'm cute."

"So?"

"Pretty sure the newbie in question is Tess."

"Oh, I see how it is. Fraternizin' with the enemy now."

Mac snickered. "I'm not gonna ask her out or anything. Learned my lesson about dating at work the hard way."

He didn't mention Nikki and Jack remembered Riley mentioning the theory that Mac maybe had a thing for Desi, but he decided to let it slide. "What're you grinning like a big dork about then?"

Mac yawned, trying to wake up a little. He was loosing the thread of what Jack was saying to him in the fog of the meds. "If she still thinks I'm cute looking like this, my love life can't be completely hopeless."

"There's somebody out there for you, kid. I'll never doubt that for a second. And you're probably right, if you can get your flirt on just as easy in a hospital gown as a tux …"

Mac snorted sudden medicated laughter.

"What's so funny?"

"James Bond couldn't pull that off … but James Blond can." He snickered again.

"What did she put in that IV, vodka?"

"Shaken not stirred," he mumbled, snickering again, but feeling the last of his hold on wakefulness start to slip.

It wasn't fair to do this to the kid. And he'd catch hell for it later, he had absolutely no doubt, but Jack decided he needed a real answer. "So, Uh, James Blond," he paused for the expected laughter but it was only a murmur this time. "You wanna finish tellin' me what you're really mad about so I can make it right?"

Mac frowned, as much as he could manage at the moment anyway. He struggled to open his eyes, and when he couldn't he just gave a resigned sigh. "I already told you. You left me here. You came back you me in Afghanistan to watch my back…"

He trailed off and Jack thought he might have really drifted off this time. Jack was contemplating going for some grub before he stretched out for a snooze himself when Mac spoke softly again.

"It's like I'm not allowed. Not allowed to have your back. Like this Wookie life debt has to be a one way street. Like I'm always gonna owe you."

"Aw, Mac, hey."

Mac clearly didn't hear him though.

"And I don't even get to know my. Dad does that. He says I don't owe him, or have to thank him, or … but he's always holding something over me. We're never gonna be on equal footing. If that's gonna be us, too … I at least deserve the truth."

Jack knew Mac was basically sleep talking but he patted the kid's arm gently anyway. "I was paying you back for saving my life when I reupped ya big dumb genius. But I should have told you your old man was sending me and that he wouldn't allow you to be reassigned. You deserve the truth and a hell of a lot more."

Mac's face was finally truly slack with sleep. Jack looked at the clock. It wasn't too late for a talk that needed having.

He sent a text.

Without waiting for the reply, Jack quietly slipped out of the room. He'd be back before too long, but he might text Boze and see if he felt like coming over to sit with Mac for a while anyway, just in case. Apparently that BZ stuff could cause hallucinations and all kinds of nasty shit.

He passed by the nurses station. "Hey there Tess," he greeted. "I'm runnin' out for a bite to eat. Keep an extra eye on James Blond in there for me, will ya?"

The immediate color in her cheeks in response to Jack's knowing smile set him chuckling as he walked away. Bout damned time something broke the kid's way, even if it was just a pretty nurse making sure he had extra ice packs.

His phone rang as he reached the elevator. He didn't need to look at the Caller ID.

"Sir Oversight, sir."

"What's the meaning of this text, Dalton?"

"Well, sir, just what it says. I'm headin' to that diner you like so much. We're gonna talk about which of us fills Mac in about Kovac. And maybe a few other things, too."

"Are we?"

"I said I'd buy you dinner. What you're buyin is a chance to make things right with your kid before I do it for you."

There was a long pause.

"I'll be there in twenty." Another pause. "How's Angus."

"Hurt. But then, you already knew that."

Jack ended the call, and stepped onto the elevator. Mac had to get up tomorrow to one less friend in his life, to Mason having gotten away, to probably still feeling a little rough.

One way or another, Mac would also wake up to a world with a few more answers in it.


	13. Chapter 13

Jack thanked the waitress for his coffee, thinking that drinking it was probably a mistake. He was worried about Mac, angry at himself for having left without telling the kid the truth in the first place, and 100% done with the games James MacGyver didn't seem to be able to help playing.

He figured it was a good thing no one wanted to take his blood pressure because it was kind of giving him a headache. He'd have to get Mac to really show him his magic trick for dropping his numbers like he had. Even sniper breath exercises weren't worth a damn for calming down right now. And the fact that it had been an hour and Oversight still hadn't showed up wasn't helping.

Jack checked his phone again. Nothing from Oversight, but Bozer had texted.

_He's out like a light. I left my number with the night nurse in case he needs anything._

Jack texted back. _Thanks Boze. I'm still waiting. _

_Think he's gonna show?_

Jack frowned. _He damned well better._

Boze texted again. _Don't get fired. We need you, man. _

_I'll do my best._

The texting bubble showed up and disappeared a few times. Finally, _Mac needs you,_ came through.

_Okay, Boze. _

Jack was starting to think about texting Matty and asking her where the hell to find the boss, and weighing how pissed she was going to be about him tangling with Oversight against how much he wanted to have this conversation. Then he heard the bell over the door jingle with a new customer.

Jim greeted the waitress pleasantly enough but as he approached Jack's table, Jack could tell he was pissed. That was fine. So was Jack.

"Evening, sir."

"Dalton."

The waitress came over with a menu, but he waved her off. "Nothing tonight, Daisy. I'm just here to have a quick chat with my friend. But thank you."

She nodded but her smile faltered when she met his eyes. "Okay, Jim. You sure?"

"Well," he softened his expression with some effort. "I guess a decaf coffee couldn't hurt."

Her smile bounced back. "Coming right up."

She hurried away.

"Quick chat, huh?"

"We really don't have much to talk about."

"You don't think so? Because if you really believe that, you're not as smart as you think you are. Sir."

"Excuse me?" The flash was back in the boss's eyes.

Maybe that meant Jack should tread lightly. But he wasn't going to.

"I mean the actual genius in the MacGyver family figured out that you sent me after Kovac and that you're the reason he couldn't be part of the team."

"You mean you violated national security and told…"

"I didn't violate nothin'. Like Mac needs me to tell him any damn thing," Jack drawled dismissively. "He figured it out for himself. But he wants to know the whole story. And one of us is gonna tell him."

"We're not going to do any such thing…"

The waitress arrived with a cup of decaf for Oversight, and a refill of regular for Jack.

"He walked once. What makes you think he won't do it again if he thinks you're hiding something from him again?"

"Angus knows Phoenix needs him. And we've repaired our relationship. I'm not worried." Something in the man's eyes said he was though.

"Your relationship got repaired mostly cuz he thinks you're dyin'." Oversight opened mouth but Jack kept going. "It also included you promising to be honest with him. And since he's basically figured it out on his own anyway, I'm thinkin' ya maybe want to keep that promise."

James MacGyver stared holes into Jack for a moment. "And if I don't, you will."

"I didn't say that … Okay, I guess I did. I'm not going to lie to his face. If he asks me a direct question I'm gonna answer. He's my partner." Jack paused. "And he's my best friend. I'm not gonna risk losing the kid by bullshitting him." Jack thought what he was going to say next might get him fired, but it needed saying. "He's had enough of that."

Instead of intensifying his glare, James MacGyver's eyes dropped. Slowly, he nodded. "And it's gotten him hurt."

"Well, it's hurt him, that's true enough. I promised him one way or the other he'd get the truth this time."

"I'll...I'd like to talk to him about it. Will you tell him that if he asks you directly."

Jack nodded. "How long?"

"I'll come over when he gets home." He frowned. "He is still in the infirmary isn't he?"

"Last I checked. Of course, for all I know he's sleeping in the back of my car by now." Jack actually chuckled. "He's been known to do that."

"You don't think he…"

"I'm kidding. He's not a kid. Even if that's what I call him. Besides, and if you tell him I said this, I'll swear before the throne of the Almighty you're a liar, when he's done that sort of thing, it's almost always been for good reason."

"I somehow doubt that, but I won't argue the point."

Jack rose, tossing more than enough cash on the table to cover what he'd eaten and the bosses coffee. "This ain't a threat, mind you, but you keep your word, or I'm gonna keep mine."

"Understood."

And Jack walked past the waitress, he smiled. "You have yourself a good night, Daisy. Your tip is on the table. Plus a little extra for Jim there to get a slice of pie. He's had to swallow some bitter stuff tonight."

"Well, I'll see if I can't sweeten up his evening some."

Jack walked out and climbed into his car. He found his heart was racing. He hadn't realized how stressed laying it out for the boss had him until he wasn't staring him down. He just needed a minute.

He checked his phone. Only one text. From Matty. _How's Blondie?_

He hesitated, then texted back. _Okay, I guess. He was sleeping. I stepped out to grab a bite. I'll let you know if anything changes._

_What're you up to Jack?_

He didn't text back immediately. So, of course, his phone rang. "Hey there, Matty?"

"Hi Jack. So is the world ending?"

"Not that I know of."

"Did Mac kick you out?"

"Um, no."

"Did the cafeteria at Building Two have a catastrophic failure of some sort?"

"No, ma'am."

"So why are you not where your partner is right now?"

Jack smirked. "You suddenly come around to my way of thinking?"

"Excuse me?"

"You decide your medical staff isn't trustworthy?"

He could almost hear her shaking her head. "I'm starting to think you aren't very trustworthy. Because you leaving Mac after he's been exposed to a chemical warfare agent? It's so out of character, I kind of want to knock you out and look for the brain chip."

"I had a dinner meeting I couldn't miss."

There was a long pause.

"And how did that go?"

Jack hesitated and Matty jumped back in.

"Are you fired?"

Jack grinned. "Not yet."

Another long pause.

"Try and keep it that way."

"Will do, Matilda. But that ain't really up to me. Somebody else has a bargain to keep and I mean to make sure he does. And I'm not sure he'll do it short of kicking and screaming. So maybe talk to him."

She paused again, but when she spoke he could hear the smile in her voice.

"Jackass."

She ended the call.

He sat for a minute. He'd told himself he was alright with whatever the outcome of confronting Oversight was, but his face felt hot, and he was anxious as hell.

He sighed, and headed back to the infirmary where he'd hopefully catch a little sleep. When they cut Mac loose, he was going to make sure Oversight made good. Come Hell or high water.


	14. Chapter 14

Mac wanted to roll over. He knew he'd been in one position too long. He had a vague sense of stiffness from having been laying overly still. _Drugged to the eyeballs, you mean. _He wondered what time it was, since whatever he'd been given must be wearing off if he was back to thinking.

Fortunately he knew it hadn't been anything too heavy, because he remembered he was in the infirmary, just not exactly why. And something told him he didn't want to dig that deeply into that right now. There was pain behind the curtain of drugs. Not the physical kind he was good at ignoring either.

He could also hear something that told him he should open his eyes. Somebody needed him. Wanting to be there was a gut reaction. Like a reflex.

Jack.

Upset about something.

"Mmmm. Mmm," he mumbled. It was supposed to be, "What's the matter, Jack?" but his lips were being no more cooperative than his eyelids.

Then he heard Jack snap, "I was nowhere near any of that! I'm not exposed, I'm just pissed."

_Exposed? _The BZ. Mac forced his brain into gear. Jack had been the first one to get to him. _**Mason **_… _**CHARLIE!**_

… _Not now, Brain. _

Jack had jumpstarted his heart.

_He touched your clothes. _

No one had thought anything of it.

_You didn't think of it either,_ his brain accused.

Finally mustering the wherewithal to move, Mac rolled onto his back. "Jack?"

He was hoarse, but Jack clearly heard him, because he felt a hand on his shoulder a second later. "Hey, kid. We wake ya?"

Mac took a deep breath, hoping the oxygen might help him wake up a little more. Finally, his eyes reluctantly obeyed his command and cracked open. "Maybe. You okay?"

"I'm fine, kid. Just got back from gettin' a bite to eat."

His eyes very much wanted to close again. He and Dan were gonna have words about how doped up he felt. "Dinner pissed you off?"

"You heard that, huh?"

"Mmmhmm." Another deep breath reminded him his chest was sore. Both the breath and the pain served to wake him up a little more. He fumbled for the button to raise the head of his bed. "I also heard the word 'exposed'."

"Aw, your lovely nurse here is just bein' fussy."

Mac arched an eyebrow, and Tess stepped next to Jack. "I am not being _fussy_, Agent Dalton."

Mac realized he could probably use the crush Mel and Dan had filled him in on to his advantage right now. Tess was inclined to keep him happy. "What's wrong with, Jack?" he asked bluntly, letting her see his concern. Some of it was put on for her benefit, but most of it was what he was really feeling.

"Nothin's wrong with Jack," Jack asserted, bordering on angrily.

"Tess?" Mac prompted. When she didn't immediately answer, he decided to lay on what Ri called his puppy dog eyes. "Please."

"Well, when Agent Dalton passed by the desk, I noticed he was flushed." Jack opened his mouth to interrupt her, but she didn't even look at him. "He's also breathing rapidly and seems agitated."

"I told ya, I'm not…"

"Turn on the light," Mac said softly.

"Mac, she don't need…"

Tess turned on the light behind Mac's bed instead of the overhead. Mac blinked rapidly anyway. The glare of even that soft light let him know his pupils were dilated from medication. "Sorry, Agent…"

"Call me Mac," he interrupted by way of thanks for not turning on the blinding fluorescents. "She's right, Jack. You look like shit."

"I'm fine," he groused.

"You know who you sound like?"

Jack almost laughed, but glared instead. "Who?" He was annoyed enough that he wanted to make Mac say it.

Mac shook his head, but flashed a disarming grin. "Me. Right before you start lecturing me, calling Matty, and anything short of calling in the National Guard in your very best Porkchop voice."

The old nickname brought Jack up short. Mac saw it kind of get through the cracks in Jack's agitation. Mac also remembered how keyed up he was himself not too many hours ago. And some of it had been the BZ.

"Jack, your face is so red, it's worse than that sunburn you got when you got wasted in Madagascar and fell asleep..."

"Yeah, well, my face does tend to get red when I'm pissed off and …"

"So, how was dinner with my father?" Mac interrupted.

Jack frowned at how perceptive Mac was even still about three sheets to the wind on whatever they'd put in his IV earlier. "Fine," he said, instead of denying that's what he'd been up to.

"Did you get fired?"

"No! Now, why is that the first thing everybody…?"

"Did I get fired?"

"Well, if course not!"

"Then you're not that pissed." He shifted his gaze to the nurse who was still looking back and forth between them. "You think he got exposed to the BZ touching my clothes today?"

"I think it's possible. And I also think…"

"Listen there, Tess…"

Mac interrupted both of them. "Jack. Knock it off. If it's even possible, you park yourself in that bed she made up for you anyway, and you let her go get Doc Anderson so they can figure it out." Jack would have interrupted again, but Mac's attention was back on Tess. "In case nobody told you, Jack is kind of a dumbass about taking care of himself if he thinks someone else needs him to take care of them." He kept talking to her, but his eyes met Jack's again. "He's more prone than usual to ignoring his own stuff because he feels guilty about leaving us to go on a mission Oversight clearly sent him on. He feels guilty about leaving _me_."

"Mac, I'm a'ight. Y'all are overreacting."

"You get more Texas when youre being defensive."

"What does that even mean?" Suddenly, Mac sighed. Jack saw him actually kind of deflate. "Mac?"

"BZ can be pretty dangerous stuff." He swallowed hard. "Don't …" His breath caught, then he just finished his thought. "Don't stubborn yourself out of my life, Jack. I really can't face losing anybody else because they can't let go of some misplaced sense of protecting me."

"Aw, Mac, that's not what Charlie did, man."

"It is!" was almost a shout. Then more quietly. "It is."

Jack reached out and put his hand on Mac's shoulder. "Kid."

"Just let them take care of you, alright? If she's wrong and you really are just red in the face because you didn't punch my father, I'll owe you a freebie of just … I don't know…"

"Not saying you're fine?" Jack managed some teasing in his voice. He was starting to think maybe Mac and his cute little friend here were right. He didn't feel great.

Mac felt something in his head relax, just a little. This was them. Partners. And things were okay. He smirked. "Unless I'm actually fine."

"I'll have to give ya that, I guess."

"Alright then. We have a deal." Mac offered his knuckles, just casually they way they used to all the time.

Jack bumped them with his own, sort of automatically. "Deal."

Tess was poised for what Jack would later think of as his moment of weakness. She took him by the elbow and led him over to the other bed. He sort of numbly kicked off his boots and let himself be shooed onto the bed, let her take his vitals, and just nodded as she started out the door to go get the doctor up from his slumber in the on call room.

She stopped by Mac's bed. "Can I get you anything, Mac? Are you going to be able to get back to sleep?"

"Yes!" He realized the response was a little bit forceful, so he backed it off. "I mean, I'm sure I will." He didn't want any more drugs. As it was, the ones in his system were pulling him back toward sleep. He dropped his voice, "Listen, Jack will pretty much crawl five hundred miles naked over broken glass to avoid needles. So maybe, if you're gonna medicate him anyway…?"

"I'll make sure your friend if comfortable, Mac. Get some rest."

She didn't ask permission first, just lowered the head of his bed so he was laying flat again. Once he was there, Mac found it harder to keep his eyes open.

He realized maybe not all of it was the drugs. Thoughts of Charlie were pushing for his attention. He just wanted to shut them out again. He remembered when Al died, he'd been put on sick call for the concussion he'd sustained. Normally he'd have argued about barracks restrictions for something so minor. But he hadn't. He'd stayed in his bunk and slept as much as the other guys would let him get away with.

He supposed that was just a way he coped with grief. When his mother died, one of his only distinct memories was taking her bathrobe off the hook in the bathroom and crawling into bed with it. He'd more or less stayed there for days. He would have stayed there longer, but finally his father had hauled him out of bed and taken him to the doctor. His pediatrician had told his dad the same thing he would have if he could have found the words in his barely more than a toddler brain. He wasn't sick, he was sad. Grief-sick. But his dad hadn't let him go back to bed anyway.

"What was that?" Jack asked, interrupting his thoughts.

Tess was looking down at Mac with something like pity. Like she could read his thoughts. She spared him answering his partner. "Nothing, Agent Dalton. Mac is just worried about you," Tess said smoothly, and then she breezed out of the room.

"Uh...Mac?"

Mac swallowed, trying to keep his surfacing emotions out of his voice. "Yeah?"

"How you doin', kid?"

He yawned to cover them further. "I'm fine, Jack."

"Ha! You just welched on our deal. Already! So I oughta just go home."

"Okay. Addendum. I'm fine because you're not being a jackass and making me worry for no reason. And also I'm fine because instead of giving Tess a hard time when she comes back you're going to be a great patient and helicopter parent and keep your mouth closed so I can go back to sleep and sleep this shit off." He was vaguely pleased with how normal he sounded.

"Sneaky little shit."

"Don't you ever forget it, pal."

Mac rolled over on his other side, facing the wall, instead of Jack. His medication was definitely wearing off because the hot tears that wanted to fall since the sick sound of that cable being cut first echoed in his head started burning his eyes.

He squeezed them shut. If he started now, he wasn't going to be able to stop, he was pretty sure.

Despite his best intentions, Jack clearly couldn't help arguing a little when the medical staff got back.

Mac sighed. He forced himself upright again, and said, "Hey, Tess? Can you unhook me before you torture Jack? Nature calls."

"Haha," Jack half growled.

"Of course." She hurried over. "Would you mind using the restroom in the hall? I was going to have Agent Dalton change before we get started."

Mac was entirely agreeable. It fit with his plans nicely.

Slipped on a robe and headed toward the door. He stopped by Jack's bed. He gave an appropriate partner smirk. "Just yell if he gives you too hard a time about that IV. He's got a glass jaw."

Tess raised an eyebrow. "I feel like there's a good story behind that!"

"There definitely is…" Mac opened his mouth like he had any intention of telling it.

Jack gave him a full Delta Dalton Double Barreled glare. "Don't you start flappin' your gums about… Ow!"

"You're welcome," Mac said, to no one of them in particular.

Distraction was the way to go with Jack. If you weren't inclined to drop him. And since it was going on seven years and Jack still occasionally dead armed him over that particular incident, Mac really wasn't especially inclined to star in the sequel.

While it hadn't been why he'd actually asked to be released from the IV apparatus, he did stop in the bathroom. After he washed his hands he splashed his face with cold water about ten times to see if he could drive away that insidious weepy feeling.

_Well, it was worth a shot. _

Then he proceeded down the hall, looking for an empty room.

The only one he found was the on call room.

It would have to do.

He went inside and closed the door.

He crawled into the bed, facing the wall, curled around the pillow rather than using it for his head. He tried just going to sleep, but his brain had had enough of him boxing this day up.

He finally gave in to his need to start to release some of the loss, of his crushing sense of failure, and wept.

Eventually, he slept again.


	15. Chapter 15

Mac woke to Dan standing over him. "Hey," he said, half-sheepishly.

"Imagine my surprise when I get in this morning and I go to check on the buddy I left nicely monitored and sleeping off some pretty dangerous shit and instead of my promised cooperative patient I find an empty bed, the annoyed partner of aforementioned friend, and my displaced colleague sleeping in a chair in my office."

Mac sat up, grimacing at the bruised feeling in his chest. "I needed some time alone."

"That's why Anderson didn't kick you out of here when they finally found where you'd disappeared last night.." Mac shrugged. Dan sat down on the cot next to Mac. "How you feeling this morning?"

Mac gave a mild shrug. "How's Jack?"

"He's okay. Extremely minimal exposure. Probably be cutting him loose shortly; before he and Melody wind up in a cage match." Mac was surprised into a laugh at the visual image that conjured. "Since you haven't actually answered me yet, I'm going to ask again; how are you doing?"

Another shrug. "I'm good."

What Dan wanted to do was call bullshit, but the look on Mac's face said that was a bad idea. Besides, the not good he sensed was more the friend kind, not so much as a doctor. "Mel says I should be grateful the furthest you went was down the hall."

One corner of Mac's lips quirked up. "A guy has important business he can't attend to in the infirmary _one time_, and he never hears the end of it."

"One?"

"Okay, maybe a couple. But whatever she told you, I guarantee she's exaggerating."

"You wanna get out of here?"

Mac managed a half smile. "When don't I?"

"Then get yourself back to your room, let Melody get the labs I ordered, eat some breakfast. And I mean actually eat. Once those lab results come back, we'll talk."

Mac sighed. "Fine."

He got up and made his way back to his room, appreciating Dan not making the ubiquitous wheelchair part of the deal. Dan headed in the other direction, not because he necessarily had anything to do, but he didn't want to crowd Mac. And he certainly didn't want to give him the impression he was escorting him anywhere. Melody did catch his eye from their small nurse's station and give him a nod. She followed Mac into his room. From down the hall Dan heard, "Jeez, let a guy get through the door before you ambush him with sharp objects."

Back in his room, Melody smirked at Mac. "Figured I'd better catch up to you before you disappeared _again_."

"It's not like I've done it _that_ many times."

"Mmmhmm," she said with a smirk. "When Tess called me last night, I honestly laughed. And I told her to have Riley just ping your phone. She thought it was weird I already had a plan."

He shook his head, but she was pleased it elicited a small smirk from him, too. "I'm guessing I broke her crush."

"How do you know Tess is the one with a crush?"

Mac shrugged, blushing faintly. "She was way too nice for someone I know you've told your exaggerated Mac horror stories."

She shook her head. "I don't think you broke it. Apparently she finds pigheaded blond spies adorable. And it didn't take them _too_ long to find you. So you're forgiven for scaring the life out of her. I think."

Mac just shook his head, "I should have said something … I…"

"I get it, Mac. We all do."

He looked away. "Thanks."

Both because she knew Mac to be somewhat guarded with his feelings, and because she had a genuinely busy day in front of her, she changed the subject back to the task at hand. "Just in case you decide you'd like to stay in my staff's good graces for a while, how about we work on getting you out of here?"

"Sounds good," he said sounding like he didn't necessarily think so, but wasn't inclined to argue.

"Which involves you sitting down and letting me get some more blood."

"Okay, sure." He sat in the chair next to his bed that Jack had occupied yesterday until he'd been ordered into a bed of his own. Melody grinned and shook her head.

That was a classic Mac move that let her know he was feeling more on top of his emotions. "You wouldn't feel better in your bed?" she asked mildly.

"I'm good."

"You sure? It's got to be more comfortable." Her expression said she knew he didn't think so, but she wanted him to move to make her job easier.

He rolled his eyes. Another classic Mac expression. "I guess. But just so you know we're back to three strikes and you're out."

"I get three strikes? You've grown as a person."

His next eye roll was more amused, but he moved to the bed. "You don't look all that confident. Maybe I should revise my strike limit."

"Let's see if the line from yesterday is still usable. Doubtful. But we can try."

Mac picked up his phone off the nightstand and started checking texts from last night. There were an abundance from Jack and Matty and Ri. He really shouldn't have just disappeared to be alone last night. He'd been here at all because of chemical weapons exposure. Of course they'd been worried when he ghosted. It's not like he'd never flaked out of here before. Just because he'd never done it after anything truly serious, was no reason for them to believe he wouldn't. "Sssst." He winced.

"Sorry. It's no good, Mac. I'll have to take it out and start from scratch." She started to take care of the IV site without waiting for a response.

Mac shrugged. "My own fault."

Jack came out of the bathroom at that moment, hair wet from the shower and fully dressed in clothes Mac recognized from his go bag. "Careful, there, kid. Nurse Shaky Hands is bound to leave you riddled with bruises again."

Mac had been expecting an immediate reprimand for his disappearing act last night. The fact that he didn't get one said Jack was treading lightly. He didn't know if he appreciated it or if it pissed him off. He decided to take the respite from Jack's Overwatch routine either way.

Melody spared him from answering while tying the tourniquet around his arm. She was just shy of defensive answering Jack. "My hands aren't shaky this morning. And Mac's not shaking like a leaf either like he was from the BZ. I won't need any of those strikes today." She frowned at his arm, turning it over, trying to decide how to make good on that statement.

Mac picked his phone back up with his free hand, looking at it casually. "I think we should count the old line going bad as a strike, even if it was because I…"

Jack interrupted. "Pulled a Houdini?"

Mac flashed a small smile. "It's not a Houdini if I didn't leave the premises."

Jack returned the smile. "Technicalities."

Mel pulled the tourniquet off and taped down a bandage. "Okay?"

"Didn't even feel it," he said, mostly truthfully. Compared to how miserable even being touched last night had been, normally levels of discomfort were almost entirely ignorable.

"That's what we aim for." She picked up all of her stuff. "Dan'll come let you know as soon as we get these back." He nodded. "Breakfast?" she asked, expecting the offer to be refused.

"Sure." She raised an eyebrow. "Dan said I had to."

"I wish he'd started working here years ago. You're much easier to deal with now that there's a doc around you drink beer and go surfing with."

"You're much more agreeable now that that doc put a ring on your finger. Congratulations. I'm sorry I didn't notice sooner."

She smiled broadly. "Thank you. We're throwing a party next weekend to announce it. You're invited."

A gathering of friends to celebrate rather than mourn would be welcome by the time this week got over. "I'll be there."

"How about you, Jack? Breakfast?"

"Ah, I'm probably all set, Sully."

"Dan hasn't cut you loose yet either, you know."

"Yeah, but he won't yell if I run across the street for decent coffee."

"I still might." She was smiling, but it had the dangerous quality of someone who'd been crossed too many times.

"Fine. I'll eat whatever, so long as there's coffee."

"That's better. Dan'll be in in a bit."

She breezed out and Mac set down his phone. "How you doing, Jack?" he asked before Jack could start his own interrogation.

"I'm alright, kid." He could see from Mac's expression that he didn't know what to make of Jack not flipping out on him. "Other than you takin' ten years off my life by disappearin' last night."

Mac's features relaxed a bit. "I'm sorry. I needed to be alone."

"Wasn't anybody here who would've thought any different of ya, if you'd stayed and had some company." Jack said softly.

"That's … That's not my way, Jack."

Jack looked at Mac for almost a full minute. "I guess maybe I know that by now."

Mac didn't say anything, just frowned and looked out the window.

"And, you know, Ida maybe appreciated you hangin' around so the staff woulda had someone to torture other than me."

He heard Mac's soft snort of amusement, but the younger man continued to stare off into the distance.

Jack's natural impulse was to push. He bit back on the urge though. He thought maybe he'd earned back Overwatch status and maybe even partner; he wasn't a hundred percent sure about best friend. Mac would say that was ridiculous. But Jack figured too many people had left Mac over the years for him to easily forgive Jack leaving and refusing his offer to come along and help. Maybe if Sir Oversight made good. Maybe then Jack would feel comfortable reverting to totally normal behavior.

Still, keeping silent set him to chewing the inside of his cheek.

When Mac picked his phone up to stare at that, his frown deepening, Jack couldn't help it anymore.

"You got proof of Santa Claus on there or somethin'?"

Mac blinked then glanced Jack's way. "Huh?"

"You were lookin' like that phone of yours is way more interesting than usual."

"Oh, um, not really. I mean … sort of..." He trailed off, but Jack was encouraged Mac had let anything slip. That felt normal.

"You hear from your old man?" Jack asked carefully.

A heavy sigh. "Yeah." Another sigh and look at the phone.

"What's he say?" Jack asked, letting some of the familiar 'I'll pry this out of you for your own good whether you like it or not' tone come out.

He saw Mac's signature wry half smile break through the frown for a second. "Well, unsurprisingly, the first text was a mission update. Mason has officially disappeared." Mac's jaw tightened for a split second. "Then a while later he asked how I was."

"A while?"

Mac shook his head. "A good long while." He shrugged. "Not like he doesn't have access to the computers here in the infirmary. He was only asking to be polite."

Mac's frown was back full force.

"What is it, kid?"

"Huh? Oh, just … Maybe less polite and more hoping I'll forget the way he's monitored and moved me like a piece on a damn chess board my whole life." There was a little heat behind the statement.

Mac still wasn't over his father's manipulative tactics. He'd tried to be, but this brought all of it back up. And Mason made very clear that James MacGyver's tendency to play puppet master was what led to his obsession. And Charlie had paid the price for it.

Jack didn't want to set Mac off. But he asked, "You let him know you're doin' okay?"

"He already knows," Mac snapped. Then he shook his head again. "Sorry, Jack. I …"

"Don't worry about it, kid." Jack just gave him a nod, encouraging him to get whatever he was thinking off his chest.

"Like I said, he already knew what my condition was when he sent it. Probably had real-time of my heart monitor," Mac said with an irritated puff. Then, unable to let it go, he added, "He'll probably know whether or not Dan's cutting me loose before I do."

"Yeah." Jack hesitated. He'd given his word that he'd let Oversight have his say when Mac got out of here. But he didn't want Mac to just be wondering right now. His partner's brain was already a mess. He could see it, plain as day. Not knowing things was Angus MacGyver kryptonite. He was interrupted by the arrival of their breakfast. Mac raised an eyebrow at the extremely nice egg sandwich on a sesame bagel he'd been presented with.

Melody laughed. "Dan is nicer than I am. He didn't think it was fair to expect you to eat cafeteria food, so he went across the street. Don't get used to it."

Mac shook his head. "Tell him thank you."

Mac stared at the sandwich like maybe it was a mountain he had to climb, but picked it up and started eating it with singular determination as their nurse left. They were quiet for a few minutes.

Finally Jack groused, "This is decaf."

Mac took a sip of his own coffee. "How can you tell?"

"How can you not?"

Mac half smiled and shook his head, setting down the two-thirds of the sandwich he couldn't make himself eat for any amount of promises of maybe getting out of here. That Charlie would never have another breakfast was a thought persistently bouncing around his brain again. It wasn't overwhelming him the way it had last night. But it stole his ability to finish his food.

Finally, he felt Jack's eyes on him again, and turned to meet them. "So what were you saying about my father?"

He'd been about to ask Mac what was wrong with his breakfast. He and Boze both knew only too well that when Mac was upset he tended to forget food existed. Trust Mac to deflect that attention. "He … um … He agreed to fill you in on everything."

Mac sighed again, and this time it sounded more tired, more sad, more defeated. "We'll see."

"If he doesn't, I will." There was no wiggle room in Jack's statement.

Mac gave him a real smile. "I know. And not to quote you at yourself, but I appreciate you."

"It's I appreciatcha, Cali boy."

"Alright, Tex." Mac grinned. And the realness of it let Jack take his first true breath in a while.

"Mac, I'm really…"

"Jack, don't." Mac took a steadying breath, determined not to snap at the guy just trying to do the right thing this time. "You did what you thought you had to do. I'm not going to pretend I'm not curious about why. But you're really not the one who needs to explain themselves." Mac sighed. "And this isn't just about Kovac. Now it's about Mason, too."

Jack was ready to spill his guts about the first part, promises to Oversight be damned. But Dan came in just as he opened his mouth.

"Wow. Gotta say, I was all wrong about who I'd find dressed and ready to bail without authorization."

"I ain't goin' anywhere without your sayso, doc," Jack began.

"That's right," Dan agreed. "Your name isn't MacGyver."

Mac smirked and both his friends, old and new. They marked how much himself he looked in that moment. It was the expression that told them, as always, Mac was going to be okay. "Hey, I'm the one still in bed, dressed in what you gave me, waiting patiently for what you tell me. So maybe don't give me shit in advance."

Dan looked almost hesitant. "Okay. But what if I tell you I need you to hang around for another course of the antidote and that Mel'll be in right behind me with a new IV kit?"

Mac swore under his breath in extremely colorful fashion. "Really?"

Dan looked gravely serious. And he was able to maintain it for about a third of a second. "Nah. Mel just wanted me to screw with you."

Mac responded with a colorful hand gesture. "Am I in the clear?"

"You're in the 'You can go home with some meds and come back tomorrow for another set of labs'."

Mac sighed. "Since it starts with go home I can deal with it."

"Good. I'll go get you what you need to leave."

"Thanks, Dan."

Mac was out of bed, grabbing the bag full of his neatly folded and decontaminated clothes before Dan was all the way out the door.

When Mac emerged less than ten minutes later, showered, and shaved, and feeling more or less like himself, save for the large bruise on his chest and numerous small ones on his arms that he'd now had a chance to inspect, Dan was waiting with a plastic bag containing a bottle of something and discharge instructions. Jack was on his feet, holding his keys.

Mac reached out to take the proffered ticket to freedom.

Dan didn't hand it to him immediately. "Come back in when you're ready in the morning. Labs don't need to be fasting."

"I'll come in first thing. I'm sure I'll need to be here for the debrief anyway."

Jack gave Dan a look. It said Mac's game face being so firmly in place again worried him just a little. That was okay, because it worries Dan, too. He was good enough both at his job and as a friend to guess at a lot of what was going on in Mac's head. "And if you want an excuse to make a pillow fort, your doctor is telling to to get some rest. Okay?"

Mac sighed. "A pillow fort sounds pretty great," he admitted.

His expression also said it was a luxury he wasn't going to afford himself. Dan shook his head knowingly. "Mel suggested tranquilizer darts."

Mac shook his head, stepping around Dan with a slight smirk. "See you tomorrow."

He and Jack headed to the parking lot. Mac had his own keys, but he didn't even fish them out of his pocket. Jack would argue since Mac had needed to leave with meds and he hadn't. Mac didn't think he had an argument in him right now.

Jack frowned at the wordless acceptance of what he was going to suggest. He felt a little better when they got about half way to Mac's place and Mac gestured for him to take a different street. "Hey, stop at Ralph's would you?"

"Finally hungry?" Jack asked, changing lanes.

"Not especially. But they have that beer we like."

"Which one?" Jack asked, turning into the large parking lot.

"The one we tried when we were in Texas."

"Which time?" Jack had tried a hell of a lot of beer back home and if Mac was with him, the younger man was usually happy to go along for the ride.

"When we met your cousins."

_Hmm_. That was the first time Mac had mentioned that excursion in a good long while. Jack wondered why it might be on his mind today with everything that happened. "You mean That high proof _Family Business Brewing_ stuff?"

"Yeah." Mac undid his seatbelt and opened his idoor. He offered Jack a slight smile and Jack moved to join him on the pavement. "Figure I've got some family business to attend to." He paused, his expression more serious again. "And today is at least a little bit about saying goodbye to Charlie. What kind of a soldier's wake would it be without some alcohol?"

Jack stepped around the car. "You supposed to drink?" He tipped his chin at the bag of pills and instructions sitting on the dash."

Mac's half smile was back. "It's not breaking the rules if I don't read it."

Jack patted him on the shoulder. "Alright, kid. It's beer o'clock. Matty texted me that she's gonna drop by later. We might as well be lit for it."


	16. Chapter 16

_A/N - There was some weird formatting this this one. Hopefully I've gotten it fixed. One more chapter after this one to wrap things up. Who else is looking forward to the premier on February 7th? ~J_

Several beers in, Mac found he was doing better. Not great, but okay. Sitting around the fire pit with Boze, and Ri, and especially Jack, was the little piece of normal he desperately needed. He was almost starting to relax.

He knew he was going to have to deal with the aftermath of the Mason incident. He also knew he was going to have to go to Charlie's funeral in a few days. Neither were especially welcome consequences. But Mac knew he'd done everything he could in the Mason case. And Charlie has made the soldier's choice, the hero's choice, and Mac could only honor that.

He also had Melody and Dan's engagement party to look forward to, he and Jack were already planning on doing some fishing with the time off their exposure to the BZ resulted in, and Dezi had called to check in. She hadn't called Jack. She'd called him. And she'd agreed to go to dinner with him when she got back in town.

Jack had shaken his head and laughed. "You really are a glutton for punishment, kid."

Mac had laughed and said it wasn't a date, just a getting to know each other better dinner. But Riley had smirked knowingly at the way he'd blushed. He'd rolled his eyes elaborately.

Mac got to his feet when he heard the door, hoping it was his father, maybe keeping a promise for a change. Instead it was Matty.

She assured him everything that could be done to find Mason was being done. He thanked her and then he hesitated. There was something going on that she wasn't saying. He decided if she wasn't offering it up, it was something he didn't need to know. Or was something she was protecting him from. And right now, he was maybe a little more willing than usual to be protected.

He got her a beer and was about to join everyone back around the fire pit when he heard the door again. Much as he'd been anticipating his father coming over to make good on his agreement with Jack, he felt himself tense when he saw his father's face. Maybe he wasn't in a place to hear a big true confession from Oversight.

He didn't even get to speak before his father opened with, "I'm glad you're safe."

It sounded so genuine, so vulnerable, Mac felt his face slip into a confused frown. "I … yeah. Um, you, too. I mean I'm glad you are, too."

"How are you feeling, son?"

"Fine," Mac said almost flatly. Then he swallowed. He didn't want to be the one returning to the way things had been between them. If that's how this went, going backwards, he didn't want the guilt of it on his shoulders on top of everything else. "I mean, about like you'd expect. But all things being equal, I'm honestly okay." Then, because he actually wasn't sure he wanted to have the conversation Jack had gotten the man to agree to, Mac offered, "Why don't you come on in and have a beer? Decompress from this a little."

"Sure, that sounds …" His father trailed off, frowning.

Not really wanting to start this conversation right now, but realizing if he didn't, his father wasn't going to be able to follow through, he prompted, "Everything okay?"

James MacGyver squared his shoulders almost imperceptibly. Mac recognized the posture. It was said he was going to lay out something he was proud of or that he expected his son to appreciate, but he wasn't sure of the reaction he was going to get, so he was defensive in advance.

"In Mexico, I promised to always keep you in the loop. Never lie to you again."

Mac nodded. "Yeah. I remember." He remembered that had come after he'd gotten in his dad's face a little. But he also remembered how much better things had gotten after that. He offered a half smile. "And the change has been great." He swallowed. The sinking in his stomach, in his chest, told him this conversation wasn't going to change things for the better. But, they'd begun. So, it was best to see it through, come what may. He cleared his throat. "It's kind of the way I'd always hoped things could be between us."

James MacGyver's frown deepened. Mac thought he recognized the expression. It was the one that told Mac he was about to say something to avoid saying something else. But Mac let him go on. "Yeah. Me, too. That's why it's only fair I think you should know there's more to Mason's story." Mac opened his mouth, almost ready to stop his father. He stopped himself though. Jack had taken a big risk going and pushing his father. He wasn't going to let that go to waste. "You deserve the whole truth."

Mac hesitated, then leaned against the counter. "The whole truth?" There was a hardness in his voice he couldn't keep out. He was starting to be suspicious that his father was going to use Mason as a way to avoid talking about Kovac. And now that he'd had the courage to let this talk start, he didn't want to let any of it slide. "Alright then," he added, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Why don't we start with Jack."

His father frowned. "What about Jack?"

Mac's own shoulders squared a bit. It wasn't a defensive posture on him at all. On Mac it was determination, stubbornness if you wanted to see it as a flaw rather than a virtue. "Dad, come on. I know you sent him after Kovacs. And I know you two talked. He said you wanted to talk to me about it yourself. So let's start there."

Jim sighed and leaned against the counter. "I don't suppose you'll accept that the reasons are need to know."

Mac crossed his arms. "I don't suppose I will."

Someone came in through the doorway, saw the two of them not quite staring each other down, and walked back out just as quickly. Mac wondered who'd wandered in, and if they needed him for something, but didn't dare take his eyes off his father. History taught him that if James MacGyver had an out from an unpleasant situation, he'd take it.

Another sigh. Jim's hands came out of his pockets. And he met Mac's gaze. "Well, for starters, Dalton was the man for the job. Kovacs was a loose end for him. And I figured he'd want to tie it up."

Mac nodded. "Nobody would question that Jack isn't a fan of unfinished business." His expression hardened. "So why all the weird anonymous messages? Because I've got to tell you, the only other guy I know who sends cryptic anonymous texts is currently living at a government black site in close quarters with his mentor-turned-nemesis and has a mental murder wall covered with both our faces."

Jim swallowed. It was a fair question, but the honest answer didn't paint him in a particularly favorable light. He'd wanted Dalton intrigued, and he'd also wanted him worried. Dalton was hot headed and more prone to rash decisions when he was under threat, and especially if he thought anyone else was. "I needed to see if he'd pursue it. I knew if I just gave him the assignment he'd take it out of obligation. But a man like Kovacs needs to be pursued singlemindedly. Dalton's response let me know he was the man for the job."

Mac frowned and found himself almost gripping his elbows. He forced himself to relax. "Okay. So...couple things. Why did you order him not to say the assignment wasn't from you? And why the hell couldn't I be a part of the task force?"

Jim cleared his throat. "The origins of the assignment were and are need to know," he said stiffly. "And it wasn't that you couldn't be involved…Dalton..."

"Don't. Don't pretend telling me it was a one man show didn't come from you," Mac said quietly.

"Did Dalton tell you that, Angus?"

Mac didn't answer him directly. "Doesn't matter. I'm asking you why I couldn't be involved. If it's because Jack didn't want me there, that's fine. But I don't think that's the reason."

Jim folded his arms, matching Mac's stubborn posture. "I needed you here. Phoenix needed you here."

Mac's eyes flashed. "You promised in Mexico there wouldn't be anymore secrets and lies. But you also promised you were done manipulating my life. You put me and Jack together in Afghanistan. Why split us up now?"

"Angus … surely you've noticed … Dalton hasn't exactly been holding up his side as your personal security."

"That's ridiculous. We're the most successful team in the organization. And he…"

"Let's start with Lake Como. Bullet to the chest for you and a dangerous virus in the wind."

"Bulletproof isn't in the job description. And we got the canister back."

"Then there was the initial fun with Murdoc when he helped you disobey a direct order and leave Phoenix."

"And if we hadn't the whole team would have been killed."

"Fast forward to him pouting over whatever argument the two of you had and letting Murdoc kidnap you."

"I told him to leave!"

"There are also any number of incidents where he allowed his personal feelings about Ms. Davis to nearly compromise missions."

"No missions were compromised."

"Thanks mostly to your skill as an agent," he snapped.

"Let's not forget about Murdoc taking you hostage a second time, the run in with he and Helman that let to another bullet wound and…"

"Wait," Mac's whole face was creased into a disbelieving frown. "You're trying to tell me you reassigned Jack to … what? Protect me?"

Jim looked relieved. "Angus, I'm glad you're seeing it from my perspective."

"You're too smart for that. I'm never not in danger in this job."

"But Agent Nguyen was much more focused on protecting you than Dalton has been in quite some time."

Mac's breathing was picking up, his heart beating too fast. That ten year old kid who'd sat crying on his front steps when he should have been enjoying his first double digit birthday cake really wanted to believe his father was motivated by caring for him. The adult with decades of perspective thought maybe he had acted because he felt Jack was in the way of the relationship he'd decided he wanted with his son.

For the moment though, Mac decided to accept it at face value. "I'd appreciate being consulted about changes to my team," he said somewhat stiffly. "It might be your organization, but it's my life on the line out there."

Jim nodded like he thought that was reasonable. "I'm sorry. I tend to be circumspect when it comes to organizational decisions. I can't promise I'll always consult you. But I can promise to do so when circumstances allow." Mac's frown deepened. "In any event, you can see that when Dalton wanted back in, I green lit it."

Mac's expression softened. "I appreciate that." He found he was too exhausted to push the topic any further. At least he'd gotten a concession about being consulted when it was an option. "So, you were saying before … about Mason?"

"He's a madman," Jim sighed.

"No arguments here. But … crazy or not, he has a beef with you. And it's personal."

Another sigh. "As I said, sometimes there's only choices between bad and worse."

Mac felt cold suddenly. He was no longer sure he wanted to know. But independent of his wishes, he heard himself say, "Don't tell me his son died for nothing."

Jim offered a half smile then. "Just the opposite.

He died for the most important thing I can think of."

Mac felt dizzy, sick. He almost wanted to tell himself it was part of the chemical hangover from the BZ. But he knew it wasn't. He'd already drawn what he was sure was the correct conclusion. His lips and tongue were numb with dread, but he made himself ask, hoping he was wrong, "What are you trying to tell me?"

Jim's jaw firmed slightly. "The intelligence asset on that op, the person he died for, was you."

The devastation in Mac's eyes made him want to backpedal. This is exactly what he'd been afraid of. He felt obligated to soften the impact. He took a deep breath and went on. "Understand, it was my decision." Mac already felt guilty enough about Charlie. He didn't want him taking on the death of Elliot Mason's son as well. "It was the only one I could make." He didn't add that he'd made the decision based largely on the fact that Mac had recovered a hard drive with critical information on it, stashed it before he got captured, and was the only person who knew where it was at the time. His freedom was a matter of national security at the time, not just of personal interest to James MacGyver. Mac was the best of the best, and Phoenix needed him to keep being that. He knew Mac didn't need to hear that right now. What he needed was his guilt assuaged so he could keep moving forward. Jim took a step toward Mac. "And you understand that Charlie gave his life to save innocent people."

Mac's expression changed from raw emotion to focused anger. First his father interfered with his team by sending Jack off, after promising all they behind the scenes maneuvering was over. Now he was claiming fatherly motivations for other past field decisions. It felt a confusing combination of probably true, and wildly false given how often he'd been in harm's way. It also didn't matter. Because it violated Mac's sensibilities, his autonomy. And he was done with shadowy motivations and questioning this relationship. His eyes grew hard. Charlie has given his life willingly to protect others. Charlie has made a choice. The sort of choice James MacGyver kept denying his son.

"Which is exactly what I would have done." He shook his head. "What you did violates everything that I believe in." His father opened his mouth to respond, but Mac cut him off. "I think you should leave."

Jim opened his mouth again, "Angus, please, let me explain, son."

"You've been very clear. I'm not interested in anything you're going to want to add."

"Are you quitting again?" His question was sharp.

"Depends on what part of this you're asking about." His eyes narrowed. "But I'm not resigning, if that's what you're asking."

He walked over to the door and opened it.

Jim went to the door and started to step out. "Angus, I …"

"Like I said, you've already been clear. I believe I have been, too."

His father looked like he'd say more, but instead he walked out the door and to his car. Mac closed the door and went back into the kitchen. He was still standing there leaning against the counter trying to get on top of everything he was feeling when Jack and Riley walked into the kitchen together. "You okay, kid?" Jack asked almost tentatively.

Riley took one look at his face and just took the few steps to close the distance between them and pulled him into a fierce hug just like he had the day she'd split with Billy.


	17. Chapter 17

Mac was grateful neither Jack nor Riley pressed him about what went on with his father. When Ri hugged him, he'd nearly broken down, but he managed to pull himself together. To be fair, it had mostly been due to Riley speaking into his shoulder, "So, are we burning stuff?"

He'd snorted a chuckle and pulled back to offer her a wan smile. "I'll let you know."

She hugged him again. "I don't know how to make matches, but I'm pretty sure I remember how you improvised a flame thrower."

He hugged her back. If anybody understood unpredictability in parents, it was Riley. "Thanks, Riles. I needed that."

She flashed him an understanding smile as she released him. It said she knew if she kept holding him it was going to have the opposite effect of helping him get his emotions under control. And it also said she knew it wasn't because he wasn't willing to be open with her. He just wasn't willing to be that open at all right now.

Jack had just raised an eyebrow. It was a look that asked if he wanted to talk. Mac just gave him a little head shake. He did want to talk. Just not now. Jack tipped him a wink. It had been Dalton shorthand for "I got you," since before they'd even decided they liked each other way back in Afghanistan. "So…" Jack began, opening the fridge. "More beer?"

"Hell yeah," Mac agreed with forced easiness.

Riley gave them both a look. "Are you guys positive that's okay? Like you got exposed to a nerve agent."

"Yeah, it's fine," Mac said, not precisely making eye contact as he pulled out his pocket knife to pop the top.

Jack grinned as he opened his own on the kitchen counter (a move that drew a disapproving glare from Bozer as he passed through to plug in his cell phone). "Totally, Ri. Don't be a worry wart."

Riley scanned three countertop for the papers she knew they came in with. "What does it say on your discharge instructions?"

"It doesn't say anything about it," Jack said, doubling down on his grin.

"As far as we know," Mac snickered under his breath as he brushed past Jack and handed Riley another beer. He heard Jack chuckle in response as Mac put his arm around her to direct her outside. "Let's head out onto the deck, get a fire going."

Bozer was already out there stacking wood for the fire. Mac bent to help, but Bozer shooed him into one of the deck chairs. "You sit," he admonished. "You got basically poisoned yesterday. I got this."

Bozer tried really hard, but before too long, Mac was beside him at the fire pit. "Here. Lemme help."

Once the blaze was established, Mac sunk back into the deck chair with a poorly concealed sigh. Bozer hovered for a minute like he wasn't sure what to say. Mac had been pretty clear after the wilderness training incident that he didn't want his family playing nursemaid. It just made him feel worse. And Bozer knew he maybe had a slight history of getting a little intense if Mac was sick or hurt. It was a leftover from when they were kids. After Mac's mom died, somebody had to give a damn.

Boze wanted to give Mac his space, but his need to help overcame the impulse. "Are you okay? Can I do anything, Mac? Maybe fix you something to eat?"

Mac couldn't help but crack a smile. Bozer's tone immediately made him remember the time the ladder to the lab had broken and Mac's arm was definitely broken and Boze had danced from foot to foot agonized because Mac had told him not to go tell, and Bozer had finally sputtered, "Can I get you a bandaid?"

"Would it be too much to ask for some of those awesome waffles of yours, Boze?"

"Of course! I mean, of course not! Waffles a la Boze coming right up!" Boze pulled Riley toward the kitchen. "C'mon Ri, this is a two man job."

Riley gave him a funny look and as Bozer pulled her inside, Mac hear her say, "Two man job?"

"After all this? Mac needs to talk, and we both know he'll talk to Jack."

Mac shook his head, but one corner of his mouth curled up.

Jack waited a minute, then cleared his throat. "Is he right? Or are you still pissed at me?"

Mac sighed. "I told you I've never been mad at you for going."

"But you admitted you were mad that you didn't get to come along."

Mac sighed again, and this time it sounded a little ragged. "Yeah well, now I know why."

"Your dad fessed up for real?"

"Sort of." Mac stared into the fire.

Jack studied his profile. He wanted to ask what Mac meant by sort of. But the way Mac's jaw was clenching told him Mac was either struggling not to break down or was blindingly pissed off. Either way, Jack didn't want to ask before Mac was ready.

Finally Mac glanced at him. "He admitted to sending you away, admitted he wouldn't allow me to go, but he wasn't being honest about why." Mac looked away again.

Jack frowned. "What makes you think that?" Mac just gave a little head shake and took another drink of his beer, rubbing absently at his sore chest with his free hand. "Mac, buddy, what did he say?"

Mac got up and moved closer to the fire, then he eased himself down onto the floorboards, his back to Jack. Jack hesitated, then Mac spoke. "He pretended it was about protecting me."

"From what?" Jack asked, joining Mac next to the fire.

Mac shook his head with a snort. "From you … or myself … From improvising? I'm not sure what he was actually trying to sell me. But I'm not buying."

"From me?" Jack asked, afraid he knew what Mac was going to say next.

Mac glanced at him again. "He made like he thought you weren't taking your job seriously enough. That Desi was more his choice than yours because she works by the books."

Jack felt a chill despite being next to the fire. "Yeah?"

"Yeah … he brought up Murdoc and all kinds of other stuff…"

"Jesus, maybe he has a point."

Mac gave Jack a good natured shove. "Don't let him put you in your own head, Jack. That's what he was trying to do to me. And it's bullshit."

"Murdoc grabbing you was kind of …"

"My own fault. Both times. You're a hell of an Overwatch Jack. I wouldn't have made it home from Afghanistan without you." He shook his head again. "And Desi isn't as busy the book as he thinks. Besides … he … He's lying about Mason, too."

"What? How do you…?"

"He said I was the intelligence asset Mason's son died to save. That he'd made the call because it was me."

"Oh, man. Are you okay, kid?"

Mac shrugged. "At first that hit me really hard. Like … he sacrificed someone else to save me … and all I could feel was guilt and then like I owed Mason in some way …"

"Mac, bud, you know …"

"I didn't say it was rational," he sighed. "But it didn't last long anyway."

Jack put a hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "Mac…"

"No way he did it because I'm his son. He ordered me into the field so many times knowing I probably wouldn't come home. Oversight left us to twist … how many times, Jack?"

"Oh, I dunno kid …" Jack didn't want to pile on, but that was tough for him to swallow, too.

"He must've needed whatever we'd gotten on the mission. But making me feel like it was a big father-son thing … That would give him more power over me … I just don't trust anything he says anymore. I guess I never really have. I tried to though." His voice caught, but he repeated himself anyway. "I really tried."

Jack squeezed his shoulder again. "I know ya did, kid. I'm sorry." Mac sighed, and just added wood to the fire. "What're you gonna do?"

Mac shrugged. "I don't know. Keep doing the job, I guess. Like I did before I knew who Oversight is."

"Well, that's a relief, Blondie." Both men jumped when Matty spoke from right next to them.

"Hey, Matty," Mac said mildly. "What's up?"

"I just got off the phone with Oversight." She raised her eyebrows. "I was a little worried I was going to spend another summer trying to teach a pool of recruits the many benefits of duct tape with no success."

Mac flashed a small smile. "I'm not going anywhere, Matty." He got to his feet with a groan. "Except to grab another beer. You guys want anything?"

"I'm all set, kid," Jack said.

"I'll take another one, Mac. Thanks."

Mac waved his own empty bottle in acknowledgment and headed inside.

"How's our boy, really?" Matty asked with concern, sitting on the edge of the stonework around the fire pit.

Jack shrugged and shook his head. "I'm not sure."

"And how is his Overwatch?"

"So damned glad to be back, I can't even tell ya, Matty."

"You've been back for a while now and this is the most relaxed I've seen you. Even though you and your partner got dosed with BZ, the Phoenix is still being aired out for toxic smoke, and your boss's boss isn't exactly happy to see you and it sounds to me, based on the conversation I just had, that he tried to poison the well where you and Mac are concerned. So what gives?"

"Yeah, but now we've cleared the air some. I'm still not sure why Oversight sent me, but Mac knows that he did, and that he wouldn't let Mac on the task force, too."

"How do you think that's going to affect Mac?" she asked carefully.

Jack scrubbed his hands over his face and through his short hair. "I didn't think that far ahead, I guess. I just didn't want him mad at me anymore."

Matty smiled gently at the sad puppy expression on her old friend's face. "It's easier if he's mad at his father?"

"Well, no … yes … Damn it Matty. I'm not the one who lied to him for almost twenty years."

"That's true, but…"

"And I'm not the one who used this Mason stuff to try to manipulate him!"

"What?" she asked almost sharply.

Jack nodded. "He told Mac he was the asset Mason's kid died for."

"Oh." She took a deep breath. "Oh, Mac."

"That's bad enough. But he also told Mac that he made the call because of their relationship."

"So that's why Mac threw him out."

"I guess so, yeah." Jack frowned. "But I wonder if that's just been brewing for a minute. Mac seems like he's been thinking of all the manipulation a lot. I don't think someone as honest as Mac was ever really gonna make peace with that."

"Nothing is ever easy with you two," Matty said with obvious affection.

Mac rejoined them, passing Matty a beer. "Be honest, you'd hate it if it was."

"Oh, I don't know, Blondie. It might be nice for all of us if something just swung our way once in a while."

Mac sat in one of the deck chairs, resting his elbows on his thighs. "Can't argue with that."

"How are you holding up, Mac?"

He offered a small smile. "I'm okay, considering."

"Really?" She cocked a skeptical eyebrow.

"Sure." He leaned back and took a swig of beer.

Matty drew her phone out of her pocket and glanced at the screen. "While I'd love to interrogate you into an honest answer, I've got to make a phone call."

Keeping his tone light, Jack asked, "How are those waffles coming in there?"

Mac chuckled softly and shook his head. "They're just getting started. I think they've been having a real meeting of the minds in there."

"About you?"

"Based on how quiet they got when I walked in, I imagine so." He smiled fondly. "Also Ri found the instructions Dan sent me home with. I've been informed that this beer better not be for me." He took another swig. "So if either one of them ask, I'm absolutely not drinking this."

"Of course not. You'd never just ignore doctor's orders."

"Exactly." Mac finished his beer in several long swallows. "Just like I never ignore orders from the higher ups."

"Absolutely." It! was all well and good to joke about it, but Jack was already worried. "You gonna be able to take orders from Oversight at all, bud?"

Mac shrugged. "Much as I ever have, I guess." Then he sighed. "Maybe. I guess we'll just have to see how this shakes out."

Matty came back out onto the deck and cleared her throat.

Jack got one look at her face and was on his feet. "Matty, what's wrong?"

She looked from Mac to Jack then back to Mac again.

Mac stood, too. "Matty?"

"I just got off the phone with Oversight again."

"Lemme guess. I'm fired," Jack said trying to sound like he didn't believe that was what was going on.

"Well...Not exactly. _You're _not fired. But we all have a big problem."

Mac took a step toward her. "What's going on?"

"You're both going to want to sit down for this."

~_End_~


End file.
